tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21948006015865135792011-07-07T22:41:31.239-04:00How I TeachEnglishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-81711148687666197772009-11-12T21:44:00.003-05:002009-11-12T21:45:20.878-05:00

I have moved this blog to a new space. Catch it over at theenglishist.com.

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-54915994084546109182009-05-26T12:54:00.003-04:002009-05-26T13:19:42.869-04:00

I'll be teaching composition this fall, and I'm trying to decide what my course will look like. I'm a big fan of analysis, particularly rhetorical analysis, so the big thing is figuring out a final project and then sequencing my course to lead to that. What I'm thinking I might do is...I don't know yet. Maybe design a superhero? I think that would be fun. But is it final project worthy?So

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-53953762186067105692009-05-06T20:38:00.002-04:002009-05-06T20:42:32.424-04:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I liked this book, but not as much as I wanted to. Mostly because (a) it feels like a set up for the next book [which it most certainly is] and (b) I really wished it had been told in multiple POVs. Because I really, really wanted to know what some of the other characters were thinking, and it frustrated me that I couldn't! Also, in that way, the outcome

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-8387803984990206342009-04-20T21:45:00.002-04:002009-04-20T21:46:35.842-04:00

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers, I didn't really like that much. The ending annoyed me a lot. I liked what he was trying to do more than how it actually turned out. The book was a super quick read, and it was intriguing (it's about a guy who skin pops heroin and what happens when he gets involved in a bad drug deal), but...I don't know. It just didn't sit right with me. I have to say that I did

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-41579019137379524452009-04-20T21:25:00.003-04:002009-04-20T21:42:59.139-04:00

Alice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: This book is part of a super popular series that I have never, ever read (and, honestly, only heard of because of research for my class). That said, I liked it quite a bit. The series does tackle lots of issues. In this book alone there was: sex (Alice goes to a church group, her friend gives a hand and blow job), an abusive relationship, interracial

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-85416696639139428022009-04-20T21:13:00.003-04:002009-04-20T21:23:52.463-04:00

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: I didn't love it as much as the friend who recommended it to me did, but I did like it quite a lot. It did take me quite a while to get into, and I only stuck with it because (a) it felt like a payoff book and (b) my friend promised it would pay off. I wasn't disappointed. Everything came together really well. Um, a brief summary is that the book is about this

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-38074652208593576662009-04-20T21:04:00.002-04:002009-04-20T21:24:10.128-04:00

The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes: Very fast read about a young girl who gets separated from her brother while in foster care. I found the book lacking in detail where I wanted it, even as Grimes paints a clear, complete picture of everything that happens. Just a little too sparse for my tastes. Delightful read, though.The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Hey, so, I read this for my reading group (

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-87854517654124687542009-01-19T21:44:00.004-05:002009-01-19T21:55:18.449-05:00

Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore: This is a sequel to Prom Nights from Hell, a book that I enjoyed very much, so I was excited to see that it seems to be an ongoing series. What I like about this book is that the characters are interesting, there's a complex female friendship, and Clement-Moore doesn't shy away from the concept of religion in her demon fighting. What's also really cool is that

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-32637729060316386942009-01-19T16:42:00.006-05:002009-01-19T21:53:31.907-05:00

One of my students said he wasn't upset by the end of the novel because "it's just a book." I couldn't even respond to that. My other students laughed.We had an interesting discussion about (SPOILER ALERT!) why Leslie had to die in the novel. They actually gave pretty well-thought answers about character and lessons learned, etc. In the end, I was like, "Well, sometimes people just die, don't

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-67817875477812552502009-01-14T23:11:00.006-05:002009-01-19T21:53:49.471-05:00

Today we opened our discussion of Bridge to Terabithia. As usual, I had them start with telling me about the book, getting a feel for what's going on in it. We talked a lot about Jess, Leslie, and their relationship. None of that is very exciting or unusual, I guess.Anyway, we talked about the "safe spaces" for Jess in the book, and identified them as Teribathia, Ms. Edmunds, and art. We also

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-83343845562019604682009-01-08T09:21:00.004-05:002009-05-26T13:18:53.044-04:00

I should have included this info with the course overview. D'oh! Here are the books I'll be using this semester:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya AngelouThe Chocolate War by Robert CormierThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. RowlingForever by Judy BlumeBridge to Terabithia by Katherine PatersonAlice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-78278294950615320362009-01-07T10:11:00.005-05:002009-05-26T13:18:29.157-04:00

Just to give an idea of how my class will go this semester, here is the course overview as printed on the syllabus:This course aims to take a critical look at children’s and young adult literature that is frequently challenged and banned in public schools and libraries. While we will discuss issues of censorship throughout the semester, our primary concern will be with understanding these books

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-88748081999300631092009-01-06T18:50:00.005-05:002009-01-19T21:54:23.193-05:00

After much thinking, I've decided to refocus the content of this blog. Instead of adding it to the pool of book review sites out there, I am instead going to focus on talking about what it is I do with books: teach.I teach young adult books on the college level, and I'm going to use this as a place to talk about my approach as well as reflect on in-class discussions, ideas for lesson plans, and

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-45503570632227707452008-06-03T19:51:00.004-04:002009-01-07T08:50:03.770-05:00

Everyone loves us. The teachers like us because we work hard, and we’re clever, polite and helpful. The other kids like us because we’re pretty and popular and funny and smart. They even have a name for us. The Bindi Babes. No one’s got more designer labels than we have. We’ve got everything we could ever want. Almost everything.Remember what I said before? If people envy you, they’re not

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-4664964051139080962008-06-02T21:19:00.010-04:002009-01-07T08:49:49.415-05:00

Words cannot express how much I loathe this book. I really cannot stand it. What makes it bad is that while I was reading I kept hoping things would get better or go somewhere interesting, and at the end, I just felt empty. What makes it worse is that the more I think about the book, the less I like it. I hate when that happens. When books make me think, I want it to be because they have

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-32022590627769740692008-06-02T20:56:00.007-04:002009-01-07T08:49:35.499-05:00

This book is kind of absurd. Basically, Sandy and his parents live a fairytale life, shut off from the outside world. Everything they could possibly want, they have. Sandy is of indeterminate age because his parents stop keeping track of time, and since he has never been to school, it's impossible to know what grade he should/would be in. You can imagine his surprise when something sinister

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-24571545516170612252008-05-30T22:07:00.009-04:002009-01-07T08:49:18.909-05:00

I really enjoyed this book. It's for young writers, but as an adult writer--or one who aspires to be a writer anyway--I found it really helpful. First, the book benefits by being aimed at children. There's no pretentiousness here; everything is very straightforward. She explains the importance of plot and character and really breaks down every element. Most importantly, there are exercises

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194800601586513579.post-41699957622748096852008-05-20T22:54:00.006-04:002008-05-21T06:56:44.995-04:00

Welcome to my blog! This is a book review blog. For the most part, the books reviewed here will be Young Adult fiction. It's what I study; it's what I love. If a book isn't YA lit, it will be clearly labeled as such in the tags and the post. I promise to be honest in my assessments of the books and how well put together they are and how much I like them. I am used to analyzing literature,

Englishisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119994618705098231noreply@blogger.com0