Ain't Nothing But a Man

Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry
Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson
National Geographic
2008

In this stunning, but short, book we follow the author as he researches the truth behind the myth of 'John Henry.' The book is filled with pictures, illustrations, and real-life stories of the men who worked on the railroad. Following the historical trail of a myth is a long and arduous process, but Nelson manages to fill his book with important historical facts that draw you into the story of the real John Henry.

I wish there were more books like this. I have never been a lover of historical fiction or nonfiction, but having the story told in such a concise and interesting way really drew me in and made me love history and the research that goes into finding it. This juvenile companion to the adult book, Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: The Untold Story of an American Legend, is a great stand-alone title that almost makes me want to read the longer version. I wish more authors would consider adapting their adult books for a juvenile audience. I know that Three Cups of Tea had some success with their Juvenile and Picture Book adaptations, but I would love to see more authors take this path.

WINNER 2009 - NCTE Notable Children's Trade Books in the Language Arts
WINNER 2008 - Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
WINNER 2008 - Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice
WINNER 2008 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
WINNER 2008 - ALA Notable Children's Book

Google Links:
A documentary company that is taking donations to make the movie
The Music of John Henry

Going Bovine

Going Bovine
Libba Bray
Delacorte Press
2009



After hearing about this title from numerous librarians I finally placed it on hold and started reading it. After reading a number of Young Adult novels in the last few years I was not expecting the harsh, adult tones, ideas, and language that permeated the book. And I loved it! Cameron's sarcastic, apathetic, winsome personality makes me immediately love him and the antics he goes through. Filled with fowl language, dark humor, drug usage, snow globes, and a viking; Going Bovine tells the open road adventure of the decade.

(Plus, I love the author's name. Libba Bray. If you look at the authors name fast, it looks like LIBRARY!)

Winner of 2010 Michael L. Printz Award

Excerpt:
"BSE stands for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Should I tell our studio audience more about it, Jim? Sure, let's tell 'em what I've won. Well, folks, it's a fatal virus that eats holes in your brain, turning it into a sponge. The tying-shoes brain cell? Sorry, this item permanently out of stock. We regret to tell you that your gross motor skills and neurological functioning will no longer be in your control. Here's your econo diaper pack. Watch out for those hallucination, and have a nice day. " (Going Bovine, p 85)




Google Links:
Going Bovine Website

Hate List: A Novel

Hate List: a novel
Jennifer Brown
Little, Brown and Company
2009

When a school shooting happens, what happens to those left behind? Garvin High School is left in emotional shambles when a student brings a gun to school and starts shooting people on the Hate List. Valerie Leftman is not only a victim of the shooting, but the girlfriend of the shooter and the originator of the now infamous Hate List. The novel follows Valerie as she has to come to grips with the bloody aftermath of the shooting and trying to find forgiveness.

Jennifer Brown weaves a sadly illustrative look at what happens after a school shooting. This book does not focus on the 'why' the shooting happened, but on those who are trying to survive the aftermath. Valerie is awkward, sullen, and a typical angsty teen trying to find her place in world where no one wants her. Her inner dialogue meshes easily with the descriptions and conversations in the book. While the book does change timelines regularly, Brown provides clues and hints that let us truly understand how it feels to live everyday with the thought that 'you should have died to0.'

In the novel, Valerie draws in a notebook to help her deal with going back to school. This is one novel that I think could have been enhanced by including her drawings in part of the book. Understanding how Valerie saw things could have been even more successful by incorporating her images and thoughts in a visual form. For a teen novel, Brown did a good job of skipping the 'depressing' parts. While most of the book was depressing, Brown managed not to dwell on the overwhelming heaviness of severe depression and listlessness that is often overplayed in Young Adult novels. Instead, the book is almost a hopeful look at Valerie's life.

Excerpt:

"I felt like I should say something, but I didn't know what to say. To remind them that I wasn't the shooter would make me sound defensive. To try to console somebody would be beyond weird. To do anything would feel like overload. I wasn't ready for this yet and couldn't believe that I'd ever thought I was. I didn't have answers to my own questions; how could I possibly answer any of theirs?" Hate List (page 74)

Google Links:



Jennifer Brown's Webpage
I actually had the pleasure of hearing Jennifer Brown talk at the KCMLIN Teen Road Workshop in 2009. I find it amusing that Brown was able to write such a clearly tumultuous, emotional, depressing tale while being an amusing, perky, family-loving person. She expressed her love for writing, for her readers, and for the emotional impact that is left with those who were left behind.

Book Blogs (that I usually don't read until after I am done with my postings.)
A Good Addiction
School Library Journal
Linus's Blanket

MrsFordtastic's Hate List Playlist
Overprotected by Britney Spears
Like You by Evanecense
Life of My Own by 3 Doors Down
Sullen Girl by Fiona Apple
Ophelia by Tori Amos

Introduction

Welcome to MrsFordtastic's Book Blog. Inspired by Book Club Girl, Jennifer Hart, I am endeavoring to provide book reviews, book lists, and all sorts of book and library related non-sense on this wonderful book blog. I can't promise consistency, but I can promise to try to give you my snarky, unabashed opinion on the books I read and the random things that pop into my head.