Con Academy - Joe Schreiber

Schreiber, Joe. Con Academy. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2015.
I don’t necessarily want to like Will Shea.  He is after all a con man - of the traditional kind, from a great big family of cons.  He has lied his way into the Connaughton Academy - a very elite private boarding school as a scholarship student.  His con doesn’t hold up for long, though.  Enter Andrea, a con artist herself, who recognizes the tell tale signs and, quite frankly, doesn’t welcome the competition. Who goes a who stays? They craft a bet to see who can con the most money out of the very self serving, very wealthy Brandt Rush. And so the games begin.  Along the way, Will has to deal with his rather unsavory father, figure out how to relate to the mysterious and attractive Gatsby, and of course, work his way into the Sigils...the necessary secret society.  What he finds out about himself, win or lose, makes his ride worth it.
I sure do love me a boarding school book.  This title has a nice spin or two.  I appreciate a male protagonist, my boarding school  canon is mostly populated by females.  I will enjoy having a boarding school boy to offer in my book talk. The con artist twist will be engaging for the students.  I’m not sure they have a true appreciation for the art of the con. Maybe some have seen the Oceans movies. A certain level of suspense exists, and students may be rooting for Will or for Andrea.  Engagement will certainly be encouraged because of these. Finally, I love a book that sends the message to our kids that it is never too late to reinvent themselves.  Crazy as it seems to we, the older and wiser, kids often feel trapped in the lives they’ve created or those that were created for them, at such young ages.  The ending here gently suggests that a way out certainly can still exist. I love that suggestion, unexpected and lovely, subtle yet impactful.

Finding Hope - Colleen Nelson

Nelson, Colleen. Finding Hope. Canada: Dundern, 2016.

Sometimes a book will just break my heart, perhaps mend it, and break it again.  Finding Hope is one such title.  Nelson tells, in alternating voices, the stories of Hope and her brother Eric.  These stories are difficult ones. Hope is off to boarding school. Such a move is not her choice, but her mother is driven to get her out of the small town in which they live, so that she does not suffer the same fate as her brother.  Eric is addicted to meth; because of tough love, he is homeless and helpless, were it not for the money and supplies that Hope sneaks to him when her father is not around.  Boarding school does not work out so well for Hope.  She becomes the victim of mean girls and bullying.  Eric’s life becomes uglier and uglier as secret causes for his behavior are revealed. Together, will they have the strength to overcome the horror of the worlds around them.

This book is not an easy one to read.  The gritty reality took my breath away.  And what seemed too difficult for me to believe is sadly the likely reality for too many young people in our schools and our neighborhoods.  I’d like to say the events are unbelievable.  I’d like to say Nelson tackles too many big issues in one book. I’d like to say our kids should be protected from the story of Hope and Eric.  What I must say is that Nelson creates genuine characters, fully realized, flaws, strengths and all. The conflicts are powerful and fully fleshed out. When I wanted to say, “Too much,” I said, “of course; oh no!”

My older students need to read this book.  They need to understand the paths down which they can walk, ones nearly impossible to reverse. This title is instructive without being didactic and contains the kind of honesty to which many of my kids are drawn.  Honestly, though, I still would not be comfortable with my tweens taking this one on.  Certainly some of their lives can also be reflected in these pages. Others are still largely innocent, and I feel duty bound to protect that innocence even for just a bit longer. While this novel will not likely be in my library, it will certainly be in my arsenal, for the kids who need to see the other side of the dark, to see that they can, in fact, find hope.

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Speed Dating!

So I was teaching AP Literature in a classroom one day, and the desks were set up in such a way that my students and I were reminded of speed dating.  We discussed, somewhat in jest, the idea of speed dating poetry. (I do still intend to develop that idea.) When I got back to my library, I met with the 10th grade teacher about book talks I had planned. We were doing banned and challenged books for most of the sections, but wanted something a bit more intriguing for the academic students who are reluctant readers.  Speed dating was at the forefront of my brain, so we decided to pursue a speed dating activity to introduce these readers to some high interest and lower level books that are often overlooked. Without much time to plan I took my “fresh” and “original” idea to the internet looking for forms that I didn’t think really existed. To my surprise (not really) speed dating ideas abounded.  For the tenth grade I used a version of the form found on Pinterest.

I had enough success with these tenth graders that I decided to pursue a speed dating activity with the entire 7th grade.  For February, I thought it would be a unique twist on my monthly book talks. Fortunately I have an amazing ELA teacher there, who is willing to go out on a limb with me.  I used many ideas found from Mrs. Reader Pants, and am grateful for this very thorough description.

We had a total of eight stations:  Who’s Who (biography); Who Knew (science/nonfiction); And the Winner Is…(Newbery titles); Magic (subject: magic); People Who Make a Difference (inspiration and self help); It’s a Mystery (mystery); Double Dates (fiction and nonfiction pairings on the same subject); and Online Dating (E book collection).  My creative aide made signs for each of these tables that sparkled! I introduced our ideas quickly with the help of a hearty powerpoint slide. We moved the students in groups of 2 - 4 at about every 5 minutes. I encouraged them to study the covers, read the book descriptions, and look at the first several pages before evaluating the books on a sheet that looked like this. We allowed about 7 or so minutes in the end for some hot chocolate (thanks to my ELA friend for arranging that!) and candy.  We used this time to circulate and talk about the books they liked and didn’t like.

I have to say we were pleased with this activity at every academic level.  We didn’t worry much about being quiet. (In fact, I played a Harry Connick, Jr. Pandora station while they “dated.” We called it the “music of love.”) The kids were just really talking about the books.  “I read this one and loved it.” “Look at this cover.” “I think ____ should read this one.” “I don’t like a single book at this table.” I will definitely do this again, and will actively seek out more alternatives to the traditional book talk that allow these middle schoolers to be active and engaged.