Good Reads

(image from sfkids.org) Today I am making the trek in to school. My wife is at an orientation for National Boards, so I am left with little to do but run and work. If I don't head to school, the likelihood that I use my creative energy is slim to none.

After reading the Red Pyramid (certainly recommended), I decided to read Al Capone Does My Shirts. I really enjoyed it, which is saying something for someone that doesn't typically like period literature. I prefer more modern stories, largely because of the ability to relate to the characters and story. But this was fantastic, and featured an ending that I was not expecting. The characters were believable and easy to identify with. Their problems seemed realistic, but didn't cripple the story. I'd like to use it for a novel study (character traits-growing up in particular, inferences/predictions) but I am a little bit nervous about that.

Why am I nervous? It is just a story, right? Part of the problem lays in how realistic the literature is, as Choldenko did a wonderful job authoring this story. Near the end there is a scene where the main character (Moose) and his father are talking about the struggle their family has had because of the strain Moose's sister has created. She is a young adult with special needs (autistic), and the family has struggled in balancing those needs and normalcy. In this late scene Moose's dad is tired, and he pours himself a beer before pouring a little bit into a glass for Moose. Moose acknowledges how odd this is, but also how important their conversation must be (partially because of his dad's action). He doesn't drink it, but the few lines about this make me a bit nervous. On one hand, you can feel the realism seeping out of the page, sensing the depth of their conversation. But on the other there is no possible way to condone or explain the action of Moose's father. We can talk, as educators (or society- what have you), about taking the kid gloves off and not censoring things that kids see around them. That is easy to say until you feel like you might be the first experience they have without that aforementioned censorship.