Looking at the World Through Chlorophyl Tinted Glasses: Book Review of Greenglass House

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Gratitude

Thank you to Montgomery County Public Libraries for making Greenglass House by Kate Milford free and readily available to the public.

Description

Milo and his parents live in Greenglass House, an island inn which caters to smugglers. Winter vacation has just started, and Milo is looking forward to some time off. His family is on most of the time, taking care of the inn and the guests–except for Christmas, when the inn is always empty, which leaves Milo with no responsibilities and his parents all to himself. The moment Milo finishes his winter break homework, the bell rings, signaling that a guest must be brought up. Then the bell rings again, and again. Soon, they have five guests when they generally have none, and his parents call in their usual help and her daughter to come up before the snow render the roads impossible to navigate, and with them, they bring Meddy, who introduces Milo to a role playing game. While reluctant at first, he settles into the idea of using his character to investigate a real mystery in his house.

Each guest seems to be harboring a secret, and their secrets seem to be attached to Milo’s house. With Meddy as his partner, he is determined to solve the mysteries.

Would I Teach This Book?

Would I teach Greenglass House? Greenglass House is artfully written. Where it could easily have turned into a cheesy kiddie mystery, Milford makes Milo into a likable character with likable problems. As Milo is endeared to Meddy, we become endeared to Meddy.

Identity is a major theme of the book, which is also the theme of my sixth grade English classes. We discuss a lot about mirrors and windows, or the concept of recognizing your own experiences in a book as well as exposing yourself to lives that are quite different from yours. Milo is adopted, which, he tells us, anyone can tell simply by looking at his family–his parents are white, and he is of Chinese descent. He discusses both his love for his parents and his curiosity about his birth parents. Imagination is another big theme of the book, and middle school is a time of life where many start leaving imaginative play behind, which makes another element for middle school students to consider.

So, yes, I would consider teaching Greenglass House, or at least adding it to the classroom library.

 

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Turn Your Weaknesses into Strengths: Book Review of Powerless

 

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Gratitude

A big thank you to Montgomery County Public Libraries for making Powerless by Lauren Roberts and many other books and resources free and readily available to the public.

Description

Powerless by Lauren Roberts is a YA dystopian romance about a young woman, Paedyn, who ends up in a series of Trials, or challenges in which participants are pitted against each other. Death is commonplace in the Trials, and there can only be one winner, who will receive fame and fortune. While Paedyn would never have nominated herself, after unwittingly saving the prince, the people nominate her for the Trials.

Paedyn is particularly at risk, as she is an orphan from a poor area, and an Ordinary, or person without the powers that the rest of the kingdom has. Ordinaries are hunted and killed by the king in order to keep the kingdom pure and powerful.

Also entered into the Trials is Kai, the younger of the kingdom’s two princes. Kai has been raised by the king to be his brother’s Enforcer--an assassin tasked with killing rebels and Ordinaries. The king has told Kai that he must win the Trials, at all costs.

Paedyn and Kai find themselves taken by surprise by the Trials--not just by the break from the traditional setting, but also by each other. Their hearts and minds will be challenged as much as their bodies.

Roberts tells the story from dual points-of-view, switching between Paedyn’s and Kai’s perspectives. One of the focal points of the book is the Beatrice and Benedick-like banter--but with more threats. Paedyn’s and Kai’s words for each other are sharper than the throwing stars used for battle. Add in violent fight scenes, vendettas, and lush descriptions of gowns and tuxes, and you have one intense novel.

Would I Teach This Book?

I had a hard time liking Powerless for at least three quarters of the book. I cannot condone a woman falling for an assassin, whether it is his fault that he became one or not. Further, Paedyn is well aware that he is the tool used to keep the kingdom “pure.” However, as things became more complicated in the book, I was able to appreciate the book a bit more.

Many of my students are currently reading Powerless and the other book in the trilogy, and I can understand why. A strong FMC, a wounded bird MMC, and clever, flirtatious dialogue--there is much to enjoy in this book. The spice rating is relatively low, if that’s a concern.

Ultimately, I don’t think that I would teach this book to a younger age group. I would be interested in including it as part of a gender studies course on romance novels--I think that could be a fruitful reading. Being able to compare Powerless to other YA or adult romances in a critical way could be quite meaningful.


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Rebellion, Thy Name Is Woman: Book Review of the Lion Women of Tehran

 

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Description

In The Lion Women of Tehran by Marian Kamali, Ellie and her mother have to leave the affluent part of the city after her father dies. Her mother is miserable over the change, but Ellie finds a very special friend in Homa. Homa is bright, tough, charismatic, funny, and even as a young girl, she is quite driven. She is the one who tells Ellie that they will be lion women.

Kamali has written The Lion Women of Tehran with several sections, moving from story present where Ellie is living in the United States back to Ellie’s childhood in Tehran. Most of the book is from Ellie’s point of view, but there are also a few parts from Homa’s perspective.

As time moves forward, Ellie’s and Homa’s circumstances both change, and the political climate goes through upheavals. Being a woman in Iran becomes increasingly dangerous.

Because of the subject matter and some overlap in time period, The Lion Women of Tehran reminded me of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. There is a lot of historical information included in both books, and having read Persepolis gave me some historical context and helped me to understand The Lion Women of Tehran. The two books also cover some of the same themes, though they are tonally quite different. Plus one is a novel and the other is a graphic novel. So.

Would I teach this book? 

The Lion Women of Tehran is, surprise, a book club book. I read and can enjoy just about any kind of fiction, but I am drawn to certain types of books more than others. This book was okay, but not my idea of compulsively readable. Several other book club members loved it—they said it was their favorite of the year. For the crowd that generally loves historical fiction, it’s a go. For my taste, it was a bit melodramatic at a few points. Since there is plenty of drama from the plot, the writing could have taken a step back. That being said, the book club discussion was quite lively—there is plenty to discuss in the book.

In a literature course, The Lion Women of Tehran could make a good comparison with Persepolis. For a multicultural literature course or world literature, the pair would be a good way to discuss the portrayal of political change and the impact of politics on the characters and plot. It would be interesting, too, to hear students discuss which they preferred reading and why.

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