A teacher reading comics!

That's right boys and girls! I, an English teacher, am reading a comic book! That can't be possible! It's true. I was so awestruck by the recent "X-men First Class" movie that I began to wonder if I had been destined for comic book nerd-dom my whole life but never realized it. So I called on my good friend Molly who is working on her doctorate in Media Studies. (Hopefully my follower TJ, who is her husband, will correct me on this if I am wrong and coerce Molly into writing a reply.)

Molly told me that like regular books, not all comics are equal. Some are written better and some are more entertaining. Joss Whedon's series of comics called "Astonishing X-Men" is both. I was excited because I was familiar with some of his other writing. Do Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Dr. Horrible ring any bells? Once again, I saw how an authors style is carried over in their work. I loved seeing Joss Whedon's humor in this comic. The same witty and unexpected quips were present as the ones I might see in one of his TV shows.

I also loved this comic because it provided me with an escape to a world unlike my own that has supernatural beings in it, just like all books in the fantasy and science fiction genre. In the X-men world, authors like Joss Whedon and many others have written about these characters for decades. That means that each character has been deeply developed and each has their own story. You can find the character who you like the best, the one you think is the most interesting, and the one you identify with the most. These are more than just superheroes in fancy costumes now. They are people, with personalities, flaws, dreams, and fears. I loved getting to know the characters I loved in the movies even more.

Remember to check with your parents and teachers before reading a comic. There are some comics like the Bone series that you can read in school, but most should be for after you reach you AR goal or as a break in between books. I would love for you to experience graphic novels and comic books for yourself, but does that mean you can write a book report on one? Sorry, but the answer is still "no."

How to Train Your Dragon Book 1 Finished!

Well, I’ve finished “How to Train Your Dragon” book one!  I found it a very entertaining read, even though it was so different from the movie.  One of my favorite things about this book is the style of the author.

Style: the way an author writes as opposed to what they write about.  It is the voice readers can hear that is unique to the author.  The author’s personality shines through writing.

Cressida Cowell, author of “How to Train Your Dragon,” has such a funny and playful way of writing that would appeal to kids and adults alike.  For example, the Cowell writes clever lines such as:

                “The first Dragon was enough to give you nightmares.

                The second Dragon was enough to give your nightmares nightmares.”

She includes fun songs and poems:

                “Watch me Great Destroyer,

                                As I settle down to lunch,

                Killer whales are tasty ‘cos they’ve

got a lot of crunch.

                Great white sharks are scrumptious,

                                But here’s a little tip:

                Those teeny weeny point teeth can

                                Give a nasty nip……”

Lastly, the edition I had contained fun illustrations and excerpts from Viking books that were hilarious.  Some pages gave Dragon stats or showed Hiccup’s attempts at writing his own training book.  All were complete with scratched out mistakes, ink blots, library stickers, and emphasized TEXT.

I did have a pretty big problem with this book though.  In most stories, there is a conflict that the character must overcome.  It may be an external problem, like a giant dangerous dragon threatening to eat them, or a internal problem, like fear, selfishness, or weakness.  While Hiccup shows growth over his internal conflicts in a believable way, some other conflicts in the book are ended somewhat abruptly without much explanation.  Toothless has a change of heart, but even the author doesn’t say what made him do it.  Some theories are tossed out but in the end it is just left to the reader to decide what that “something” was.  Furthermore, remember that giant hungry dragon?  Well I won’t tell you how the dragon is defeated but the answer comes out of nowhere, was not mentioned previously in the story, and just seemed like a way for the author to solve the problem without much effort. 

I’d love it if you read “How to Train Your Dragon” yourself and let me know what you think of the conflicts’ resolutions.  I’m not sure I’ll be reading the next book in the series anytime soon. 

Next time I'll be discussing my next summer read that may surprise you.  Hint: Can comic books and teachers mix?

How to Train Your Dragon Book 1

Some students think that teachers just want them to read award winning, critically acclaimed, classic literature.  That is so far from the truth!  It's important to read certain books in your life, but it is also important to read what interests you!  That is why my next book to read is "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell.

Well, first let me say that I LOVED the film.  It was one of the best animated films I've ever seen and the fact that it lost the Oscar award for best animated movie is debatable.  I love books that are also movies, so since I loved this movie, I'm sure I'm going to love the book as well.

I know what everyone's first question is going to be; "Is it like the movie?"  The answer is a surprising no.  Many of the characters are the same.  Hiccup and his dad Stoick the Vast are pretty much the same along with Fishlegs and his teacher Gobber.  However, his love interest fails to make an appearance and Toothless, his dragon, is a very different kind of dragon than in the movie.  Differences don't stop at the characters.  The plot was definitely changed for the movie.  In the book, all Vikings raise dragons, not fight them.  How do they train them?  They YELL at them!  Sadly Hiccup is sort of wimpy and pathetic so his yelling skills are not great.  He has to figure out a new way to train his dragon.

Even though the plot is very different, it makes me excited because it will be a whole new story to read.  More to come soon on the original tale of "How to Train Your Dragon!"

Island of the Blue Dolphins: Part 3

Well I apologize, dear readers, for not posting as of late.  However, I have good news!  I finished The Island of the Blue Dolphins.  I really enjoyed to book and found Karana to be a wonderful character, just as Ms. Martinez promised.  It was so interesting to read about her survival in the wild and her ability to use the resources around her.  At the end of the book, it told how “The Island of the Blue Dolphins” was based on a true story!  There was actually a girl who lived on an island off the coast of California by herself from 1835 to 1853.  You can even visit her grave and see artifacts from her Indian tribe displayed at the Southwest Museum of Los Angeles.

My favorite thing about Karana is that she tried so many new things.  For example, it was considered wrong for girls to make weapons and hunt.  However, Karana was persistent in performing this new task, even when she messed up a couple of times.  She had never built a canoe, but she did it!  She had never killed an octopus, but… well the squid was too strong, but the point is she tried!  After reading this book, I feel inspired to go try new things myself this summer.  Although, it probably won’t be killing squid.