Mr. Edmonds' Literature Log

  Free Choice Last, but not least. I love that there has been a recent obsession with "Appalachian Horror," and this book fits right in. Since this was the last book that we had to read, I was hoping this one would blow me away, but I think it's plot is a little weak and takes too long to build. I do love the idea of a modern witch story. It's something that I've been really looking for since the rise of Harry Potter , but everything feels too edgy or is just a story about witches and it takes place in modern day. I think this book does a good job of landing in the middle, kind of like the movie Hocus Pocus.  I also love the use of their "powers." It's such a weird idea that the protagonist can "taste what others are feeling." Just that as an idea is weird enough to keep me interested. I just feel that the author was trying to include too much in the novel and it really bogged down the plot.  I think this holds a lot of relevancy among YA r...

  Stonewall Book Award  I couldn't get into this one. Reading this felt more like something that I would have read as some form of fanfiction, which I guess is where a lot of novels start. There were some parts of this novel that I did enjoy, like how the author made vampirism sound more like a debilitating disease that people have to live with rather than a super power like other series. And I thought the fact that the characters are having to find a workaround for Sol's vampirism is a compelling way to tell a love story. But overall, I think that the main ideas of this novel turn me off of it. Or rather that I could find myself connecting with the characters, which is an important part for me to get interested in a character-based drama.   I think that some Young Adult novels are written to target the group of teens that spend a lot of their free time online, and this feels like one of them. I think that there are some readers that this book would really resonate w...

Book v Movie/TV Okay, this is where I get to be the cynical old guy in the room. I thought this book was okay. When I first looked into it, I was blind-sided by how popular this series is. And after reading it, I thought it was okay. To me, there's been more compelling mystery novels, and I just couldn't bring myself to be as interested in this one. Then, when I watched the first episode of the Netflix series, I found myself checking my phone often. I think that the popularity of series like Euphoria  has affected teen drama shows in a very negative way. From what I watched, it felt faithful to the series. But I don't see myself finishing the book series or the Netflix show on my own. It could also be that I was never very interested in shows/books like this when I was a teenager.   I think that the relevancy to teens with this series has been part of a an ongoing trend now for a few years. There's a lot of drama/mystery shows targeted towards young adults and many of t...

Schneider Family Book Award   I love reading novels in verse. Ever since I was originally introduced to them with Crank  by Ellen Hopkins, I've found enjoyment in reading them. While I think this had some stiff competition with Long Way Down, I think this novel was deep and relatable in a different way. I think describing anxiety using poetry is a great way to try and describe the emotions and feelings of what it's like to live with anxiety. How I knew that this book had effective imagery is when it triggered my own anxieties when I was reading it. While, there are some parts of the character that I can't exactly identify with, for obvious reasons, I think that there are lines that stand out that most people would be able empathize with. I like that this book ends in a much happier note and a hopeful look towards the future, the other novels in verse that I've read recently have all be much more depressing.  This novel strikes me as one of those books that I would try t...

  Printz Award If I'm being 100% honest, I picked this novel off the list of Printz Award books because I saw the title and thought it was the other young adult romance novel about a hockey player published in 2022 (weird, huh?). Then I saw the cover when I loaded the audiobook. I really liked this book because of how well the characters were written. One of the biggest issues I have with the romance genre, is when characters make stupid decisions in order to be with other person, but it's such a bad decision that it will likely ruin everything anyways. But, I didn't get the sense of that with this novel. It was very reminiscent of Romeo & Juliet, but if they were hockey players instead of teenage aristocrats. I can't say this was my all time favorites, but I also don't really see myself reading a lot of sports romance novels. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. As far as teenage interests/relevancy. This appeals to a specific group of teens. And the best way...

Bank Street Books of the Year  Tiffany D. Jackson knocks it out of the park again! This was such a cool and unique book. I had seen this one sitting on shelves in libraries and bookstores, but hadn't bothered to check it out until now. It was such a cool book to read with all the different rap references and lyrics. And with it being a historical book, it's specifically the late 1990s when the East Coast/West Coast rivalry was at it's peak. I also think that the reality of one of the characters being murdered is something that would hit home for a lot of students, especially those from rougher areas. I also love idea of having one of the characters be dead, but still be a part of the story by having their lyrics and music be apart of the story. It was also really cool to see a lot of the actual rap lyrics written by Malik "Malik-16" Sharif. While the period isn't my personal favorite for rap, I appreciate it enough to find real enjoyment in this book. This is ...

Pura Belpré Award   This one was interesting to me, mostly because I could see what it was going for. It a way, it reminded me a lot of the film Candyman, in the sense that there's a viral trend that goes around that is invoking the supernatural. At first, I wasn't enjoying this book because I was like, "Well, duh. if you mess with the demon ritual you saw online, don't be surprised when the demon shows up. This kids are so stupid." But then my fiancé pointed out that there's tons of examples of that in the real world that kids always test out. I think what initially kept me interested is how horrific the first scene is. I've noticed that a lot of horror novels are starting to mirror trends in genres that are successful in film, just in book form. And I think the idea of showing something scary in the first chapter, then introducing the protagonist, is a great way to keep readers invested in the story from start to finish since there is a looming threat in...

  YALSA Nonfiction Award Okay, so a little bit about my family. My aunt got her Masters degree in Medieval Literature, and while most people wouldn't know what to do with that degree, she is has worked at several major tech companies like Google and Microsoft. And because of that, she is actually one of my personal heroes. And this book reminded me so much of her. And, Elizebeth learning how to break codes due to her love of Shakespeare is such an unique, but also similar experience to my aunt, that is made me appreciate this book in a new way. On top of that, I've grown to love non-fiction narratives. Because it feels like real life can be just as crazy the stories we tell. I also like that it explains the significance of why Elizebeth being a renowned code breaker is important to the overall war efforts for both world wars. This was honestly a book that I picked just because I thought the title and cover were really cool. This feels like a book that I would recommend to a stu...

National Book Award   Okay, now this is a historical drama that I can get behind. Maybe it's just from years of teaching the historical importance behind the allegory of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, but I felt the stakes of the characters in this novel. This novel had a certain "vibe" to it. The topic of Lily's father being deported also felt extremely relevant to recent events. I thinking knowing the context behind the time period added a a deeper layer to my enjoyment of this book. I think there was so much going on in this book that the tension became overwhelming (in a good way). For example, as a straight, white man in his late twenties, the microaggressions towards the main character made me uncomfortable as I listened to this in my car. I also like that the characters got to have some really cute moments together as they started to explore their feelings; it showed that there's some light in dark places.  A few years ago, I taught a student that would ...

  Manga Selection I was excited to revisit this series after years of not thinking about it. I watched the animated series back in high school and was a really big fan of it, and actually sitting down to read the series was a treat. One thing that I really like about the story of this series is how it establishes the "rules" of the Death Note. Because of how the rules are established, it allows for the reader to follow along in the "cat and mouse" game that the two main characters engage in. I also love that the story follows a protagonist that isn't a good person, it allows you to make your own assumptions about the character. I also really enjoy the art and character design. It feels a lot like the early 2000s in the best way and I can't explain it any other way.  As far as relevance to teens, I know several students that have already read this series on their own because of how iconic the character design is. Most people that I know that watched any anime...

Walden Award I originally selected this book because the cover reminded me of one of my favorite games that I played in high school, Infamous Second Son. Which, after reading the novel, I learned that they were not similar at all. But, I did enjoy it. I was surprised by how real and heartbreaking this story is. While Jay is trying to find his cousin's murderer, he uncovers the truth and it changes his perspective on his cousin forever. This story is super relevant because of how many teens are caught up in drugs now and how much being addicted to drugs can change people. I think this is mostly a drama, you'd have to buy into the plight of the characters, but I think that anyone that has lost a loved one due to drugs or something similar can relate. I know this isn't a new topic, but it remains as a relevant one.  I think that this book would appeal to teens in two main ways. One is the Filipino representation. I think that in America, we are starting to see more representat...

  Author Selection I loved this novel. I couldn't put this book down, I think I finished the entire book in under two days. I think the mystery of this novel (I know that I just said I didn't like the last mystery I read) is so well established. I think this is in part due to Jackson's writing style. One of parts of the novel that got me that is when the main character was second guessing if her best friend was actually real or if she was a figment of her imagination. The story revolving around a young girl who wants to be a famous singer, but is caught up in the reality of being famous. The male R&B singer that she's been obsessed with for years, turns out to be a manipulative and abused person that used his fame to control those around her and she has to try and expose him to stay safe. I think this book is written in a such a compelling way that it makes you want to start the next chapter right away. I also like that the end of the novel has a note that says that...

Audiobook Winner I have been listening to most of the books as audiobooks thorough Spotify, and this one was amazing. The only other audiobook that has been as good as this one has been Frank Herbert's Dune.  As for the plot of the book, I loved this one. With it being labeled as "queer horror," I think that it helps define a niche subgenre of horror that has been emerging lately where the horror itself comes from the idea of being different and being ostracized for being different or the threat of conforming to societal norms. I think this is a perfect theme/idea for horror targeted at teens because all teenagers want to do is fit in a be cool. I also love the absurdity of this book. While I've head that others my find it annoying or confusing,  It makes it a very fun read to me. One of the only points of contention that I've seen online about this book (I know I shouldn't read online reviews of stuff, but I can't help myself) is the nature of the protago...

  Edgar Award Winner  I had trouble getting through this one. I picked it based on the title and cover (something, something, don't judge a book by it's cover), hoping that I would enjoy it. But over the years, I have determined that I'm not a big fan of mystery novels. I think had a hard time getting into the novel because of the historical factors. The two protagonists who are sisters looking for their father are constantly hitting road blocks due to them being women in 1426 Korea, but we are early on established that the older sister is able to disguise herself as a man. So it becomes frustrating to me that there are several times where they are met with a problem because they are women. And I'm just sitting here reading and thinking, "Why don't you just disguise yourself? It worked last time!" The murder mystery aspect of the book was more interesting than the historical one, but in the end I just couldn't find myself enjoying this book.  I think w...

Eisner Award This was a really cool book. I really enjoyed that the first the thing that you seen in the novel is the author note that the first 168 pages drawn traditionally on card-stock printer paper with markers that you can find at your local craft store. I like that detail because it makes it feel like anyone could make a good graphic novel. Another great detail of the graphic novel is the speech bubbles and how they are translated. Since the main character isn't from an English speaking family, his mother's speech bubbles are are placed in brackets to show that she's not speaking English. The art in this graphic novel is beautiful, and the develop of the main character and the struggles that he's dealing with feels relatable for many people on different levels. I feel like I can connect with Tien because I always felt like I was different from others. I think there's tons of teens that would love this book. With the main character having to hide the fact that...

  Whippoorwill Award Honestly, I had a hard time getting into this book. I enjoyed the accompanying illustrations that went with the chapters, but it was hard for me to get into the novel since it's supposed to follow the same family through multiple generations. The start to the novel is compelling, due to the mystery that's set up with a young girl being turned into a vampire. But it becomes hard to progress through the chapters after being introduced into so many different characters and time periods. Another thing that I struggled with was all the native terms that were being used, because it felt like there was too many of them to be able to keep track of. And by the time I had finished the book, it felt like the pay off wasn't worth the confusing set up. This would be one that I would consider revisiting in the future, but as it stands, I had at hard time following along with the story.  I think this would be an interesting book to use for a book club or a class assig...

Free Choice Title     The more I reflect on this book, the more that I find that I really enjoyed it. It might just be because horror movies are some of my favorites, and I love to make comparisons between different versions of the same property. I keep thinking about the differences between this novel and the original Carrie (both the novel and film), and I'm finding that I enjoy this one more. I think the changes to the story add a deeper layer that I feel are expanded on personal experiences and feelings by the author; I always felt that there was a disconnect between the character of Carrie White and Stephen King. I think that changing the core issue of the book from puberty to racial tension adds a more compelling and contemporary issue into the novel. I also think that changing the location from Maine to Georgia, while necessary, was a change that I felt made the book more relatable. While I've never lived in Georgia, my fiancé is from a small town in South Carolina, I c...