The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling

 From Goodreads, 

"Once upon a time there was a tiny kingdom called Cornucopia, as rich in happiness as it was in gold, and famous for its food. From the delicate cream cheeses of Kurdsburg to the Hopes-of-Heaven pastries of Chouxville, each was so delicious that people wept with joy as they ate them.

But even in this happy kingdom, a monster lurks. Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands... the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike. Some say it's just a myth...

And when that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children — best friends Bert and Daisy — embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies, bringing hope and happiness to Cornucopia once more.

Features full-colour illustrations by the young winners of The Ickabog competition."

Goodreads - The Ickabog

A few years back I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Scholastic Insider program.  They sent books to me that were on grade level with the students I was teaching.  I got to read the books, review them, and of course share them with my students.  I applied last year hoping I would get in again since I was at a new school, but was unfortunately not accepted.  Then the pandemic happened and I was kind of glad I wasn't doing it, but at the same time what else was there to do but read during the quarantine.  So when I saw the email from Scholastic a few months ago I jumped at the chance to apply again and guess what?  I was accepted!  The first book that was sent to me actually became a book thanks to the lockdown.  I was reluctant at first because I'm still working my way through the Harry Potter series (very slowly) and they have a very unique writing style and language.  I didn't know what to expect with this book, but guys I am VERY excited to share this review!

The Ickabog is the tale of many characters.  There is the king of Cornucopia who is self-centered and greedy.  The king has two right-hand men named Spittleworth and Flapoon.  They are also greedy and decide to bamboozle everyone to make money and be in control.  And there are best friends Daisy and Bert.  Daisy's mom dies when she is younger and Bert's dad is killed by the supposed Ickabog.  Which the most important character of the entire book is the Ickabog.  For years parents have told their children to beware of the Ickabog.  The entire story soon snowballs as lies build to tell the tale of the Ickabog that lives in the marshland.  The entire story will leave you wondering if the Ickabog truly exists.  

When I first started this book I struggled a little with it.  I felt like it was all moving really slow because I just wanted to know if the Ickabog was real or not.  But after I finished it I was beyond happy with the entire set up of the book.  All of the chapters are extremely short and it keeps this pace where you could read this to a class or to your child at night and leave them in suspense of what was going to happen next.  In the beginning, I really thought the story was going to follow the king, but it really shifted and followed Spittleworth, Daisy, and Bert.  I loved that this was told in third person because we were able to jump around and get the FULL story instead of just the first-person view of one character. There was a time jump around the middle of the book and it was handled beautifully.  There was a clear transition that years had passed and we were immediately caught up with where all of the main characters were after the time jump.  As a teacher though, one of the biggest things I loved about this book was the entire "lying is wrong" theme that was present.  Spittleworth kept lying and it kept snowballing because he had to tell more lies to cover the previous lies.  I think it is a totally teachable moment in this book and something that could be discussed in a classroom.  Many students think they can lie and get away with it because that's usually what they have seen and heard at home.  I like that Spittleworth didn't get away with it in the end and that his peers who knew what was going on were also in trouble because they didn't report what was happening.  

My big thing about this entire story was the tension between Mrs. Beamish and Mr. Dovetail.  I hoped they would fall madly in love and get married.  But on the flip side, I felt like Daisy and Bert should end up together because they had been friends for so long and had been through so much.  I knew that Rowling wouldn't give us both because that's awkward.  But I honestly think I would have rather seen Bert and Daisy get married than their parents.  It felt like the two young people needed a chance to start over and fall in love.  I was also frustrated with the narrator.  The entire time I was hoping it would be the Ickabog that was telling the story or one of the characters, but the book just ended without any light shed on who was narrating the entire story. 

This book was full of adventure, suspense, and drama.  I would love to read a book that focuses on the life of Ickabogs.  Maybe a book told from their point of view and their origin story.  We kind of got that in this book, but they were such fascinating creatures that I would love for there to be a prequel of sorts to this book.  I give this 5 stars.  This is a book that would fit anyone of any age.  It is a fun little story.  As an added bonus there are illustrations throughout this book.  J.K. Rowling released this book a chapter at a time online and asked students to illustrate pictures that went along with the book.  All of this happened during the lockdown/quarantine/shutdown timeframe.  It was a wonderful move on Rowling's part to keep students reading and engaged.  

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

 

From Goodreads, 

"At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate; this far from civilization the boys can do anything they want. Anything. They attempt to forge their own society, failing, however, in the face of terror, sin and evil. And as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far from reality as the hope of being rescued. Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies is perhaps our most memorable tale about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”"

Goodreads - Lord of the Flies

 A few years back I made an attempt to read this book.  I didn't get very far because I felt like my feeble brain just could not process this book.  This time I went in with a clear head, determination to get the book off my shelf, and took it one chapter at a time.  

A plane crash leaves a group of boys stranded on a deserted island.  No adults survive and schoolboys must decide what to do.  At first, they relish in the idea of having the freedom to do whatever they want.  Ralph decides to take action and make a plan to help them get rescued.  Everyone goes along with Ralph's ideas and elect him as chief.  But soon it all starts to crumble as the boys start turning into savages and start following a new "chief" named Jack.  Everything is fine until one night the savages take it too far and murder one of their own.  

I have set a goal for this new year to try to read 50 pages every night.  Obviously this isn't always possible due to life or not wanting to read or the book is just too much to consume that many pages at once.  This book was one that I had to take chapter by chapter.  There were only a few chapters that I read back to back.  I really had to take the time to think through what I was reading and to let it all sink in.  Honestly, I think this book would be a huge hit if it were rewritten with today's vernacular.  There is so much in this book and it is a solid story with a lot of symbolism and meaning.  Unfortunately, I felt like the author elaborated way too much on the scenery and the minute details, but not in a way that pulled me into the story.  Golding would go on for paragraphs talking about the beach or the jungle.  Painting that picture at the beginning is great, but honestly, when we are in the final chapter I don't need it.  We've been living on the island for some time now and we are all well aware of what it is like.  And with the scenery came a lot of vocabulary that doesn't hold the same meaning today or just isn't used.  I think that was another huge piece for me.  The old-style writing was a big no-go for me.  

I think the plot of this was amazing.  You have a bunch of schoolboys who are stranded on an island and because they are children they do what they want and they participate in petty schoolyard drama that turns into a full-blown war.  Honestly with the way things are in today's world this book is a pretty solid fit.  Just a few weeks ago we had people who went to a peaceful protest at the Capitol and ended up rioting and breaking into the Capitol building cause all kinds of destruction.  Those "adults" were acting just like the juvenile children in this book.  When there is no leadership or organization or rules everything turns to chaos.  The entire time I was reading I felt like the beast in the book was to represent the fear that the children had.  But after researching I learned that the beast was supposed to represent the primal instinct and savagery that exists in all of us.  I think that right now we are all, unfortunately, living in a very large version of this book.  We have the people following Jack.  We have the people following Ralph.  We have the people who are like Piggy and we have people who are like the littluns.  Jack and Ralph both represent political parties.  The Piggy's would be the people who are educated and insightful.  They can see the whole picture and what needs to happen for the greater good.  And of course, we have the littluns who are oblivious to everything and don't really care that there is a full-fledged war going on.  And I think that our country will continue to spiral just like in this book until someone swoops in just like at the end of the book.  I love that this book written in the 50s can still be compared with a situation going on today.  

I'm actually quite surprised I never read this classic in school.  I'm actually glad because I don't think I would have had the same respect for this book if I had had classwork and assignments that went with it.  This book is easily relatable today and will be relatable 20 years from now.  I give this 3 stars.  It was good, but the language and writing style quickly dropped my rating.  

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

From Goodreads, 

"In the stunning and hard-hitting sequel to the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin, incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American prison system.

Shortly after teenager Quan enters a not guilty plea for the shooting death of a police officer, he is placed in a holding cell to await trial. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Dear Martin, Quan's story unravels.

From a troubled childhood and bad timing to a coerced confession and prejudiced police work, Nic Stone's newest novel takes an unflinching look at the flawed practices and ideologies that discriminate against African American boys and minorities in the American justice system."

Goodreads - Dear Justyce

Last week I reviewed the book Dear Martin which is the first book in this "series".  I wrote my review from a teacher's perspective and shared how I would use the book in a classroom.  I had high hopes that this would be a good follow-up book that could be recommended to students, but I was extremely let down.  Dear Martin was well thought out and had a solid storyline.  This book felt haphazardly written. 

Dear Justyce is told from the viewpoint of Quan who is in prison for murdering a police officer.  Quan grew up in the hood and did what he had to do to survive.  For him, that meant joining a gang.  He found a place where people wanted him and had his back.  But now Quan is a teenager in prison being charged for a murder he didn't actually commit.  Through flashbacks of Quan's life, conversations with his mentor Doc, and letters written to Justyce, we learn how Quan got to where he is and the truth behind everything. 

This book was written in a completely different format than Dear Martin.  In Dear Martin, the story was told by Justyce and stayed in the present the entire time.  Periodically there was a letter he had written to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  This book jumped around... a lot.  There were flashbacks of sorts that made us aware of why Quan had taken the path he had.  There were letters to Justyce of course.  They mainly focused on him talking through things and analyzing conversations and questions that Doc had asked.  And of course, there was the present when Quan was having conversations with Doc.  Once I had gotten used to the format it was an easy read and easy to keep up with... until we started getting the viewpoint of Justyce, SJ, and Jared.  This was Quan's story to tell, but it was hijacked halfway through so that we would know what Justyce, SJ, and Jared were doing to try to get Quan out of prison.  While it was good to get that point of view, I honestly could have lived without it.  I wish the book would have stayed in the format of letters, conversations, and flashbacks.  I feel it would have better represented Quan and his telling of the story of his life.

My biggest complaint of this entire book came at the very end of the book in the final chapter.  We learn that Quan and Justyce's mentor Doc is gay.  Both of these boys looked up to Doc and he was present in both books and asked hard-hitting questions of both of the boys.  I hated that Stone just slid the fact that Doc was gay and married in at the very end and didn't address it earlier in this series.  I felt like this could have and should have been brought up in the first book.  It came across as being an afterthought or a way to "qualify" as a diverse book supporting the LGBTQ+ community.  I felt like it needed to be taken out and not even addressed or it needed to be brought up and weaved into the story from the beginning.

I would have loved to have seen more of Quan's life in prison.  I think that was just passed over instead of really sharing what life in prison was like for him.  The book was okay, but it lacked some sense of reality.  I think that people who read the first book will definitely want to read this one to find out if Quan really shot the cop or not.  I give this 3 stars.  It wasn't great, but it was good to get some answers that I had at the end of the first book.  

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

From Goodreads,

"Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack."

Goodreads - Dear Martin

Awards and Nominations:

• William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee (2018)
• Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Nominee (2018)
• South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult (2020)
• Lincoln Award Nominee (2020)

When I was in junior high I struggled with books that had African Americans as the main character.  It wasn't because I was racist, but because I wasn't exposed to the way that they talk.  Now that I'm older it is much easier to read books with a very broken or unique vernacular.  But there are many newer books that I don't struggle with at all.  I've come to the conclusion this is because a lot of the language and vernacular I've been exposed to or I hear in regular conversations.  This book had its moments of unique language and slang, but for the most part, it was a sophisticated read. 

Justyce is just a typical teenager.  Except that he grew up in the hood, now goes to a prestigious high school, and is on a fast track to an Ivy League college.  But one night he walks to where his ex-girlfriend is parked and tries to stop her from driving drunk.  A cop shows up and arrests Justyce, which shakes him to his very core.  He knows he was just trying to help, but the cop just saw that he was black and that it appeared he was trying to do something illegal.  Justyce decides to look at the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and he ultimately decides to start a diary of sorts where he writes letters to Dr.King.  But everything changes for Justyce the day that he is riding with his friend Manny and an off duty police officer opens fire on them.  Justyce has a lot to sort out and hopes that the teachings of Dr. King and his letters to him will help him find where he belongs as a young black teenager. 

There are so many approaches I could take to this book, but I think I'm going to put my teacher's cap on and discuss this from an educational standpoint.  This book would be PERFECT in a high school classroom.  Honestly, it would be perfect in history, government, and an English classroom.  It is a new and relevant book that wouldn't have been taught every year for the last 40 years.  As a teacher, I would use some of the topics that Doc discussed in his class and I would open it up in a roundtable discussion or a Socratic seminar.  Both would be highly informational and full of opinions and ideas from students.  I would also have them write to Dr. King or pick some historical figure (I would probably compile a list ahead of time).  If using Dr. King as the one students were writing to, it would be easy to have questions ahead of time to ask the students or to help further deepen their thinking and writing.  A government teacher could pull some cross-curricular and have students research our justice system and explore cases that are similar to those mentioned in the book.  History teachers could teach the ideologies of Dr. King and they could pull that in with the book.  There is so much potential with this book and as a teacher, I was excited to see all the teachable moments and skills.  

One thing I didn't understand (maybe I missed it or can't recall) was why Justyce started the journal to Dr. King.  I don't really remember the point at which he decided to write to him and I don't remember his reasoning.  For a high school student, I find it rather odd that he would want to just willingly write letters to someone who is deceased.  I wished there had been more in-depth information on the letter/journal writing aspect of this book.  I think it would have been more understandable and relatable if Justyce had had to write to Dr. King because it was an assignment, and not just because he felt like it. 

I was surprisingly impressed with this book.  It had a good flow and plot.  The news reports that were sprinkled throughout gave the book a unique twist that kept it going and allowing for some time-lapse to happen in the book.  I give this 4 stars.  I'm excited to read the next book Dear Justyce which tells the story of Quan and how he ended up where he is.  

The School Story by Andrew Clements

From Goodreads, 

"Two middle school girls scheme to publish a book in this novel from Andrew Clements, the author of Frindle.

Natalie's best friend, Zoe, is sure that the novel Natalie's written is good enough to be published. But how can a twelve-year-old girl publish a book? Natalie's mother is an editor for a big children's publisher, but Natalie doesn't want to ask for any favors.

Then Zoe has a brilliant idea: Natalie can submit her manuscript under a pen name, with Zoe acting as her literary agent. But it's not easy for two sixth graders to put themselves over as grown-ups, even with some help from a couple of real grown-ups who are supportive but skeptical. The next bestselling school story may be in their hands—but can Natalie and Zoe pull off their masquerade?"

 Goodreads - The School Story

Awards and Nominations: 

• California Young Readers Medal for Intermediate (2004)

Frindle was the first book I read by Andrew Clements.  I remember there was such excitement around the book when I was in junior high even though it had been out for more than a few years.  I read a few other books by Clements that were written in the same Frindle style, but none stuck with me enough to remember the titles.  Every year I kick 5th grade off by teaching a novel study over Frindle.  It is a lighthearted and fun book to get things going and to really hook students into reading.  I decided it was time for me to branch out and read more works by Clements.  When school closed down in March 2020 I grabbed some books off my shelf to take home (as if I didn't have enough books at home to read) and figured I would read some during the quarantine.  It ended up that I didn't get around to reading this until December and that was only because I had a pile of books on a shelf and decided to start at the top and work my way through them. 

The School Story is a tale of two friends and their journey to fame.  Natalie is quiet and reserved.  She has a knack for writing and enjoys it which is what led her to write a book.  Natalie's best friend Zoe is more outgoing and talkative.  She decides that she is going to do whatever it takes to get Natalie's book published.  The two sixth graders work undercover with the help of a teacher to get Natalie's book to an editor at a publishing company.  More specifically they decide to get the book to Natalie's mom so she can edit it and get it published.  But will they be able to pull it off without getting caught?

This book was a fairly simplistic book for a middle-grade novel.  It wasn't drowning with pointless and meaningless characters that didn't have an important role in the book.  It had the picturesque plotline with the classic ups and downs that happen in a plot as it all catapults toward the highest hill on the plot rollercoaster and the book finally comes to an end.  The problem I had was that this book was fairly... boring.  While it had a good solid plot, it lacked fire and excitement.  There was of course the constant feeling of anxiety as the girls and their teacher tried to avoid getting caught.  But honestly, there weren't many points in the book where I just had to keep reading because it was so good.  I was more like "Oh... I'll read this later."  It took me way longer to read than it should have just because it lacked that special Andrew Clements pizazz.  And honestly, Andrew Clements missed the opportunity to write and publish the story that Natalie wrote in the book.  I was more intrigued as to what she wrote than the actual story I was reading. 

My biggest complaint with this book is that it wasn't relatable.  It wasn't relatable as an adult and it definitely wouldn't have been relatable as a middle schooler.  There were so many times throughout the book that I thought to myself, "That would NEVER happen that way."  For example, the teacher just agreeing to go behind everyone's back and help these two kids get a readymade office space and help get a book published.  Did she think she would get a cut of the money if it did get published?  And when it finally ended Natalie's mom was like "Oh how sweet."  She wasn't upset or questioning how it all came together.  She was just so happy her daughter had published a book.  Like hello!  Your child just managed to sneakily write and publish a book and you had NO idea.  No parent would be chill and happy.  They would be flipping their lid that their child had done all of this and signed a contract and consulted a lawyer without even bringing it up.  And in what world is a sixth-grader going to write a full book and get it published?  The entire thing was just so far fetched.  

This book was a definite letdown.  There are other Andrew Clements books that I think would be way more exciting than this one.  I give this 2 stars.  It just didn't sit right with me and was so unbelievable.