Notes from the dog

Notes From the Dog by Gary Paulsen

Fourteen-year-old Finn is a loner who lives with his dad and his amazing dog, Dylan. He's hoping to land a summer job where he doesn't have to talk to anyone except his pal, Matthew. Then Johanna moves in next door. She's ten years older, cool funny and she treats Finn as an equal. Dylan loves her, too. But Johanna is ill, and Matthew and Finn learn to care for her emotionally and physically. When she hires Finn to create a garden, his ideas backfire comically. but Johanna and the garden help Finn discover a talent for connecting with people he never knew he possessed.

I liked this book, unfortunately I didn't feel that there was enough character development - I didn't feel like Finn and Matthew acted fourteen-year-old's I know. I felt for Johanna, but again Paulsen could have added alot more to give her and the fact that she has cancer at such a young age some real significance. In other words I probably could have loved this book - instead I just kinda like it.

Defiance by Valerie Hobbs

Defiance by Valerie Hobbs

Defiance. Defiance is defined as 1. challenge 2.disposition to resist or contend. The main characters of this book have chosen to defie obstacles that are around them. Toby has decided that he is finished with cancer, with hospitals, chemo and being sick - even though the lump on his side tells him otherwise. Pearl has decided she is done with just about everyone, especially her kids and her poetry. So when these two defiant characters are brought together over an ailing cow, their unlikely friendship begins. They have much to learn from each other and how defiance also contains a smidgen of surrender.

I enjoyed how cleverly the author made you interested in the poems that Pearl introduces to Toby, and how she-Pearl lets Toby discover the imagery and magic that poetry brings to the world.

Heartwarming and over too soon.

Read On

My sister's keeper

Remember at the start of the year, I book talked this incredible book by Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper, well I learned shortly after that they were making it into a movie, and that Cameron Diaz was going to play the mother, and in my head there is no way she can be the mother. I know we've had quite a bunch of you read it, so I thought I would put the movie trailer up for you to check out. Tell me that you agree that the book was and always will be soooooo much better.

My summer favourite.

My sister's keeper by Jodi Picoult

Well this has to be my favourite from this summer, in fact as I book talked it this week, I thought I might just read that again - and soon. This was a great, complex and thought provoking book.


Here's what I told students about it. --- The story starts off with the youngest daughter Anna seeking out a lawyer, the reason she is doing this is that she wants to gain the rights to control of her body. You see, Anna has been giving of herself from the day she was born. Anna's sister Kate was born with a rare form of cancer. Basically Anna was created to be the perfect genetic match for Kate - so Anna from that first day and her life following has been that of giving -first her umbilical cord, then countless blood/platelets donations, and bone marrow, now they want a kidney. But this is not only Anna's story, this is also the story of Anna's family.
In the novel each member of the family tells a chapter through their eyes or voice (the omniscient). Because your given each persons perspective, you can examine and empathize with each member of the family - what mother wouldn't want to save her child?, what father wouldn't want to make the members of that family happy and peaceful?, what brother wouldn't act out from being shut out of important events and decisions? and what will sisters do for each other (taken to the most extreme measures)?

There's a delicious twist at the end of this book and I didn't tell the students and I'm not gonna spill it here either.


As I talked with the students about the book, we had all kinds of great discussion - I can't wait to hear what they have to say after they've read it.


This is not a young adult novel, but it is a book that I couldn't put down and I've witnessed that it can create interesting, lively discussion. I loved the interview with Jodi Picoult and the reader discussion guide at the end of the book.

I hope some of you will pick it up, it's sooo! worth it.
Read on...