Gateway 2012-2013 Nominee 1: Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


So, this is the first book I read for the 2012-2013 possible Gateway Award nominees through the Missouri Association of School Librarians. I've already 2 others on the list, but that was a while ago. Anyway, on with this review. It's also the first book that I ever checked out as an e-book from our public library! Very cool. And one other first, the very first Walter Dean Myers book I've ever read. Lots of firsts for this book.



This book reminded me of a few that I read for the Gateway award last fall, specifically . Both were good, and while not normally the type of book I would pick out to read, I can totally see the audience in my classrooms who would really want to read them. I'm so glad that I've gotten the opportunity to be a reader selector for the past few years for the different Missouri award book nominees. It has really given me more insight into books for all readers, and if I ever get the chance to be a school librarian, I'll feel even more prepared.



The main character is Reese, short for Maurice. He is in a juvenile detention center, jail for juvies basically. His crime was stealing prescription pads and giving them to someone so that person could then write fake scripts for drugs to sell. We start out the book with Reese hearing he has a chance to possibly get out early, and part of it is being a part of a new work program the center is trying. This center is called Progress. The job is working at a retirement home. At this home he meets a man named Mr. Hooft, who really is of that generation that doesn't trust black people and judges him as a criminal. Meanwhile, Reese is dealing with the other kids back at the detention center. While he's not in for a violent crime, he can lose his temper so quick and become extremely rough. And he actually does this most of the time in order to protect another inmate who keeps getting picked on, to the point where Reese is afraid this kid will be killed. But fighting is fighting, no matter why, and so he gets punished every time as well as the other person. And keeps putting his chance of early release in jeopardy.



I really liked the story between him and Mr. Hooft. It had parts that made me smile. I liked that deep down this kid was good, that he wanted to be good, but there were things in his environment that just kept getting him down and pushing him a step backward from his goals. I think the portrayal of the people working at the center is probably realistic, and kind of sad to think of. I know kids I can recommend this to, and I will. Good book.



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Book Review 49: thank you, Lucky Stars by Beverly Donofrio

This was a pretty good book about girls and their friendships. I have to admit at first the whole, Lucky Stars, being capitalized and said constantly was kind of annoying. But I got used to it. I also at first had trouble because the girls were so young to me, 5th grade, and totally behaved that way. However, since the Mark Twain books are for 4th-6th graders, a book about 5th grade girls is about right. It starts at the beginning of the school year when Ally realizes her best friend Betsy has left her for a girl that they both used to hate. Betsy has gone on to be a part of the more mature girls, while Ally is still very imaginative and young. A new girl moves to the school named Tina, and she's weird. She keeps trying to be friends with Ally, and Ally at first doesn't want to be seen with her. But soon she learns what a good friend Tina can be. The big talent show is what Ally had always been so excited to perform in with Betsy. And it doesn't look at first like that's going to happen. But soon another chance comes up for Ally to start hanging with Betsy and the cool girls. Ally must decide if she'll keep Tina as a friend, or line up with the clique and become one of them.

The sadness and loneliness Ally feels is written so well, that I can feel it, and the book got me emotionally. So, all in all, a pretty good book.

Only one book left on the Mark Twain list for me to read. Unfortunately I am still on a waiting list at the Mid-Continent Public library for it. It is called Bringing Home the Boy by Nelson. So, while I had hoped to be completely done with the list by the middle of this week, it may be a few more days. So I picked up New Moon and decided to go ahead and get to reading the series again to get ready for the movie in 3 weeks.

Second book almost done

I checked out The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman last night at the bookstore, one of the Truman list. Didn't get a lot of time to read it last night, and so wasn't quite "feeling" it. Well, today, between waiting in the doctor's office as well as using every other "opportune" moment to read, I'm almost done. I figure I'll finish it tonight and blog about it tomorrow. Now that I'm close to the end, I am liking it better. I still like Hunger Games more, but I like this one too. I also went ahead and stopped by the MidContinent Public Library, and checked out a whopping 40 books. I think that means there are 7 more that I'm waiting on there. And there is at least one more I planned to check out at the bookstore, although when I was working last night, I don't remember seeing it in hardcover, so I may have to go ahead and add it to the library list.

Went back to the doctor today. No Celebrex left today, so started back on Ibuprofen, and actually until I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, I wasn't noticing it at all. But I was a couple hours late, and sitting all that time in the office I think made it worse. Because I'm kind of in pain again. The doctor said let's try a week with just ibuprofen, then go off that and if it doesn't go away, then we may have to do an MRI and physical therapy. I'm pretty sure once I stop taking any pain stuff, I'll be in horrible pain, may not even be able to go into work. I also was able to show her the stuff on my thumb that I'd been told was shingles. She says it isn't shingles, but is the same kind of virus that causes my cold sores, and so she gave me a prescription for Valtrex that I can have ready when they show up again. But said right now it won't do any good to start since it's already full blown. All I know is that I've had it for a week, I hope it really goes away soon.

Went to see my Uncle Mario tonight. He's deteriorated so much since I saw him just a couple months ago at the birthday/skating party for my cousin's kids. They're saying he most likely has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. I guess he'd had lots of company today, and so by the time we got there he was pretty much unable to stay awake. I thought we were going too late. I hope I get time to go visit him again before he slips too much more. I also hope I'm not going to be going to another funeral this fall, but I'm afraid it might come to that.