Alex+R.

=Alex R.= //It's Kind of a Funny Story// by Ned Vizzini Review from Barnes and Noble: Ned Vizzini, the talented young author of //Be More Chill// (the first YA novel selected as a //Today// show book club pick), crafts another superb study of angst-ridden adolescence in this story of teen depression. Craig Gilner is a gifted 15-year-old boy who works hard to get into a fiercely competitive high school, then crumbles under the intense academic pressure. Blindsided by his inability to excel and terrified by thoughts of suicide, Craig checks into a psychiatric hospital where he finally gets the help he needs. Vizzini, who himself spent a brief time in psychiatric "stir," invests his novel with great emotional honesty. A graceful, skillful, and witty handling of a sensitive issue, this is an important book we heartily recommend for older teens. This story is important to me because it shows a completely different point of view from what I'm used to reading. Not only is it from a boy's perspective, but he also has depression. This story really stuck with me becuase it helped me realize that the simple everyday things that I take for granted, are so hard for other people to do, I never really thought about what that struggle must be like until I read //It's Kind of a Funny Story.// ==// Mrs. Jack's comments: // I have read many ficiton and non-fiction texts that deal with issues of teen depression...but I felt that this novel put a quirky spin on a serious subject...not downplaying the effects of depression, but making Craig seem more approachable and "real" because of how he expressed himself. I didn't want to see the movie b/c I was afraid it wouldn't be like the book, and I'd be mad!==
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 * //Gabby's comments://** I am actually in love with this book. I loved that it dealt with an issue that many teens face today and just like Mrs. Jack I appreciated the humor that he added in throughout the story. It was also nice to read knowing that the auhtor, Ned Vizzini, spent time in a mental hospital himself so you know that the book is a genuine account of what goes on in those sorts of places. =====

//Water for Elephants//by Sara Gruen Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell. Jacob was there because his luck had run out—orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act—in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival. Surprising, poignant, and funny, //Water for Elephants// is that rare novel with a story so engrossing, one is reluctant to put it down; with characters so engaging, they continue to live long after the last page has been turned; with a world built of wonder, a world so real, one starts to breathe its air. I usually dont read historical fiction, so when I heard about this book, I was a little uncertain about if I would like it; I am so glad that I did read it. The story is based around the depression and a man who finds himself suddenly working for a circus. The story never is dull like I first thought it would be and it really showed me that I can enjoy many other genres. One of my favorite aspects of the story is how its all narrated by the man, but when he is old and in a nursing home, thinking back to his past. Usually I find two timeframes in a story confusing and unnecessary but in Water for Elephants I think that it only added more depth.
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= **Carly Hughes' Comments:** = I really like the book so far and I also like how the story is narrated from the male prospective it gives an interesting spin on romance. I also agree about the flashback technique used it adds to the stories ancient quality.