48 Hour Book Challenge: The Finish Line!

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

I haven’t read so much in a 48 hour period since, well, never. I stumbled to the end with a few longer titles and only got halfway through THE GREAT GREEN HEIST. I’ll post a review some time this month. For now the lawn is waiting to be mowed, the dog needs a walk, and I have a dozen phone messages to take care of. Hello, Greg. What happened to you? Are you still alive?

Here’s my summary:

  • 8 1/2 books read
  • More than 250,000 words
  • 24 hours and 15 minutes plus 1 bonus hour for five hours of networking, reading others blogs, etc. = 25 hours, 15 minutes.

What I learned:

  • Empathy for others and how they see the world.
  • Turn off the cell phone. It helped being disconnected while reading.
  • I accomplished more reading away from home.
  • Goals are what provides growth. This time in learning more about diversity, different writing styles, and the power of the written word.

Thanks Mother Reader for hosting this event. I’m exhausted but it feels good. Click on the icon for all the results.

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CROW for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

CROW by Barbara Wright11346278

READING TIME: 320 minutes

WORDS: 63,872       PUBLISHED: 2012    READING LEVEL: 5.4

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: The summer of 1898 is filled with ups and downs for 11-year-old Moses. He’s growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny butts heads constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his mother is reeling from the discovery of a family secret. Yet there are good times, too. He’s teaching his grandmother how to read. For the first time she’s sharing stories about her life as a slave. And his father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of power they’ve earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But not everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will do anything, including a violent plot against the government, to maintain the status quo.

One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community—enfranchised and emancipated—suddenly and violently loses its freedom in turn-of-the-century North Carolina when a group of local politicians stages the only successful coup d’etat in US history.

FAVORITE LINES OF DIVERSITY: “Aren’t white people better than us?” I asked.

“Not better. Different. Everybody is an individual. It’s like hair. Some people have red hair, some brown, some blond. But that doesn’t mean we’re different inside.”

MY THOUGHTS: The story builds after a slow start, and the empathy I had for young Moses demonstrates the strong writing from Ms. Wright. The final 80 pages are gripping. It’s a sad scar on the history of North Carolina and for the United States. This would be a fantastic tale to jump start a discussion about progress made with race relations since this story unfolded in 1898.

NEXT UP: THE GREAT GREENE HEIST by Varian Johnson

MY MOTIVATION LEVEL: Maybe I should have read CROW first as it was the type of story that requires careful reading and reflection. I’m pushing forth for another hour tonight and hope to finish the final selection before my 48 hours comes to an end at 9 am tomorrow.

 

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THE YEAR OF THE BOOK for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

THE YEAR OF THE BOOK by Andrea Cheng

READING TIME: 100 minutes

WORDS: 20,719       PUBLISHED: 2012    READING LEVEL: 3.6

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is81KVdKlgmiL that friendship is complicated. When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannot—constant companionship and insight into her changing world. Books, however, can’t tell Anna how to find a true friend. She’ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estes’ One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.

FAVORITE LINE OF DIVERSITY PAYBACK: Once a boy in my school called me a Chinese flat face and I called him a big-nosed moose.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the first in a series of books about Anna, a Chinese American. I enjoyed the plot with Anna at odds with the Chinese part of her ancestry. Great starter book for a new MG reader – girls more than boys though. Learning a few words in the Chinese language was also a plus.

NEXT UP: CROW by Barbara Wright

MY MOTIVATION LEVEL: My right eye seems to be fluttering. Don’t know why. Couldn’t be that I’m approaching 20 hours of reading, I’ve got two more books left, but they are 300+ pages each. The weather is perfect and the football campers are enjoying another day of hard work. They are excited to have some NFL players coaching them today. I’m excited to be starting Book #8. Here’s the view from my reading spot…

football

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WILLIAM for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

WILLIAM by Anne Welsh Guy

READING TIME: 80 minutes

PAGES: 124       PUBLISHED: 1961

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: “We’ve come to school and we’re going to stay! said William.

Miss Howard, the teacher in the white school welcomed the boy of determination. There were many problems for 41kIksuyNtL._SY445_William to overcome, and the biggest one was his fears. There was the fear of new people and a strange school, but mostly there was his fear of not being accepted by the members of the fifth-grade class. William’s fight to conquer his suspicions and those fo his classmates is a long struggle. The mysteriously missing class fund of twenty dollars and the exciting, almost tragic, skating party are some of the events along this road. Eventually a rewarding friendship and understanding springs between the white children and William.

FAVORITE LINE OF DIVERSITY UNDERSTANDING: “But Mama,” persisted William. “What if the kids in that school don’t want us there? What if they make fun of us – or maybe won’t talk to us or look at us?”

MY THOUGHTS: This one may be a difficult one for you to find. I got it at a yard sale (50 cents- original price for this hardback when published $2.95). I also saw it at our local library. I was curious as to how diversity was handled in literature over 50 years ago. William is a great role model for kids then and now as to how to deal with differences. The story is well told with some nice pencil sketches throughout. Recommended if you can find it.

NEXT UP: THE YEAR OF THE BOOK by Andrea Cheng

MY MOTIVATION FACTOR: I’m refreshed and ready to go with another round. I have driving duties again today and thankfully the football hungry teens smell better this morning than when I picked them up yesterday. My goal is five more books today, but two are quite lengthy so we will see.

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THE LAST BEST DAYS OF SUMMER for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

THE LAST BEST DAYS OF SUMMER by Valerie Hobbs51n2DGnrYyL

READING TIME: 2 hours 50 minutes

WORDS: 40,011       PUBLISHED: 2010    READING LEVEL: 3.8

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: For twelve-year-old Lucy Crandall, the last week of August is the most perfect time in the world. It’s when everything she’s been so worried about – her overprotective mother, her best friend Megan’s obsession with being popular, and Eddie, the neighborhood kid with Down syndrome who keeps insisting that they’re friends – melts away, and she gets to visit Grams at the cabin in Crescent Lake, California. Grams has a way of making Lucy feel centered, like one of the pots on her kick wheel – perfect, steady, and completely at peace.

But as Lucy’s week with Grams turns into a roller coaster of surprises – some good, some awful – suddenly Grams doesn’t seem to be so steady anymore. And Lucy can’t help but wonder: How is she to find her own center, without Grams to show her?

A “Hurtful” LINE OF DIVERSITY: Yeah, well. It’s not like he’s, you know, normal.

MY THOUGHTS: No differences in color here, but plenty of difference how Lucy and her popular friends react to her friendship with Eddie. Lucy tries hard to fit in, to be popular, but that means hurting others and not feeling good about herself. This is a tender, heartfelt tale of understanding. For people different from yourself and for a grandmother whose mind is slowly disappearing. Powerful writing wringing with emotion. Highly recommended.

NEXT UP: WILLIAM by Anne Welsh Guy

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THE JACKET for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

THE JACKET by Andrew Clementsjacket-rplzfj

READING TIME: 45 minutes

WORDS: 9,533       PUBLISHED: 2002    READING LEVEL: 4.1

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: Phil is on a mission. His absentminded little brother forgot his lunch money. All kinds of thoughts are running through Phil’s mind as he searches for Jimmy in the throngs of fourth and fifth graders crowding the school hallway… Then Phil spots Jimmy’s one-of-a-kind jacket and rushes to the corner of the hallway. Except the person wearing it isn’t his brother; it’s some black kid Phils never seen before –wearing Jimmy’s jacket! Phil makes an accusation, tempers flare, and both kids wind up in the principal’s office.

How will Phil react when he finds out how Daniel came to be the owner of the unique jacket? Will Daniel be able to forgive Phil for an accusation that was based on racial prejudice? What will each boy learn about the other, and more important, about himself?

FAVORITE LINES OF DIVERSITY: And he thought, This morning, what if Daniel had been a white kid? Would I have grabbed him like that? If he looked like he belonged in that jacket, would I said he stole it?

MY THOUGHTS: This is a quick read that packs a punch. The actions and reactions of these two boys is very believable. Despite being written twelve years ago, the lessons learned are still appropriate today. Highly recommended!

NEXT UP: THE LAST BEST DAYS OF SUMMER by Valerie Hobbs

MY MOTIVATION LEVEL: I think I may have dozed off writing this sentence. I’m losing steam but a little caffeine break and completing book #5 tonight looks possible. I’ll be up early trying to squeeze in a short title before it’s back to football camp. I’ll be taking with me two of my longer titles.

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THE MAN WITH THE RED BAG for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

THE MAN WITH THE RED BAG by Eve Bunting 9780061957376_p0_v1_s260x420

READING TIME: 2 Hours, 40 minutes

WORDS: 38,709       PUBLISHED: 2007    READING LEVEL: 4.0

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: Nine months after 9/11, everyone wanted life to return to normal. But when Charles Stavros boards the State Tours bus, twelve-year-old Kevin Saunders is sure this exotic-looking stranger is up to no good. He sits alone. He has a bushy black mustache and sinister eyebrows. He carries a red bag with him wherever he goes – and even talks to it.

Kevin confides his suspicions to Geneva, a girl he meets on the tour bus. Together they watch the man’s every move. Kevin is convinced Stavros isn’t a typical tourist, interested in the Great Salt Lake, the Grand Tetons, or even Yellowstone National Park. Kevin knows Stavros, red bag in hand, has something much bigger in mind, and it’s up to Kevin to save the day and maybe even the world

LINES OF DIVERSITY THAT CAUSE REFLECTION: This guy looked like he might be Saudi Arabian or even Iraqian, if there such a word. He was dark skinned, with bushy black eyebrows and a bushier mustache. So maybe it was natural for me to be on the alert.

MY THOUGHTS: A mystery centered around people’s perception that appearance (profiling as it is often called) is a worrisome path to take. Told from Kevin’s viewpoint, his young eyes and his desire to be a mystery writer causes the images he sees in his mind to be very believable. The man with the red bag, maybe not so much. The story is fast paced and although I thought I had the ending figured out, it was a bit surprising. Fun trip through some of our nation’s most spectacular sights. Boys and girls would equally enjoy.

NEXT UP: THE JACKET by ANDREW CLEMENTS

MY MOTIVATION LEVEL: Camp is over and a driving break has helped clear my mind for the next push forward. I’ll repeat the drill for the second day of the camp tomorrow. So far I’m  on schedule to complete five books today.

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THE FAMILY UNDER THE BRIDGE for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

THE FAMLY UNDER THE BRIDGE by Natalie Savage Carlsonfamily-under-the-bridge

READING TIME: 80 minutes

WORDS: 17,375       PUBLISHED: 1958    READING LEVEL: 4.7

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: This is a delightfully warm and enjoyable story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and one was better off without them. But the children who lived under the bridge recognized a true friend when they met one, even if the friend seemed a trifle unwilling at the start. And it did not take Armand very long to realize that he had gotten himself a ready-made family; one that he loved with all his heart, and one for whom he would have to find a better home than the bridge.

FAVORITE LINE OF DIVERSITY UNDERSTANDING: Redheads they were, all of them, and their clothes had the mismatched, ill-fitting look of poverty.

MY THOUGHTS: The triad of characters – the hobo, three homeless children, and their mother – all look at each other in different ways. Perhaps it’s fitting that the children don’t have any preconceived notions about reacting any different to those not like them. A charming story with several marvelous full page illustrations that bring the tale to life. This would make a great read-aloud that gives a snapshot of Paris and a chance for rich discussion of those less fortunate and the choices they make.

NEXT UP: THE MAN WITH THE RED BAG by Eve Bunting

MY MOTIVATION FACTOR: I’m on my third bottle of water and second energy bar. Reapplied sunscreen and I’m good to go. Will try and get this next one done before the football camp ends at 2:30.

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FREEDOM CROSSING for 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

FREEDOM CROSSING by Margaret Goff Clarkfreedom-crossing

READING TIME: 2 hours

WORDS: 30,868        PUBLISHED: 1980    READING LEVEL: 4.6

BOOK JACKET DESCRIPTION: COULD HE TRUST HER WITH HIS LIFE? Laura is furious when she overhears her brother, Bert, and an old friend talking about her as if she were a stranger. When her mother died, Laura went to live with an aunt and uncle in Virginia. Now she is back home and she discovers that her brother and father are helping runaway slaves escape into Canada. Her house is a stopover on the Underground Railroad. Laura believes that anyone helping a fugitive slave is breaking the law. Then she meets Martin Paige, a 12-year-old runaway slave who would rather die than be sent back to the South.

FAVORITE LINE OF DIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE: A person should have the rights of a human being, no matter what color he is.

MY THOUGHTS: An exciting historical tale. Laura is faced with choices that conflict with her beliefs. The changes she makes are believable and heartwarming. Great, well told story for boys and girls.

NEXT UP: THE FAMILY UNDER THE BRIDGE by Natalie Savage Carlson

MY MOTIVATION FACTOR: Still high. The temperature outside is 70 degrees as I sit in the stands at a football camp. About 300 kids participating. I’m not the only adult with a book in their hand, but I have a goal. The rest of these dedicated folks are just killing time.

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48 Hour Book Challenge- Ready, Set, GO!

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Greg Pattridge

I’m starting out my day as the designated driver for a few teens attending a football camp  at a local high school’s stadium. By the time I get them checked in I’ll have 5 straight hours of free time to properly start my participation in the 48 Hour Book Challenge. Here are the details:

  1. I’ll open my first book at 9 a.m. (11:00 a.m. Eastern) My backpack is filled with five titles to get me through the day – all of them having something to do with diversity. Some came off my bookshelf , two from the bookstore, and others from my favorite library.
  2. A mini-review of each title will be posted here. I’ll have to dash across the street to the McDonalds or Starbucks for wireless, but should have the first one up by noon..
  3. The plan, and I say that loosely, is to keep going until 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
  4. Click the logo below to connect with all the other bloggers participating. That’s it and good luck to myself! First title on the pile: FREEDOM CROSSING.

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