2015-2016 School Year Reads
I follow the same reading pattern I require of my students: Free Choice, Non-Fiction, and Classic.
C.S. Lewis: A Life Inspired (Nonfiction)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though the content was fascinating and easy to digest, it was too brief. (I'm a huge Lewis fan, so I knew most of this information. It was good, but could've been better.)
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10- Easy read.
Content Enjoyment: 7/10- Like I said, I love C.S. Lewis.
Language Enjoyment: 4/10- Straight exposition.
The Heroes of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though the plot lines were not quite as good as the earlier Riordan novels, the content still had reader appeal and the language was incredibly readable.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10- The target age group is middle-school. This makes it easy to read, but was a bit of a detraction for me as a reader.
Content Enjoyment: 7/10- I was impressed with Riordan's son's short story.
Language Enjoyment: 6/10- Riordan has conversational language down! However, it is written for a younger audience.
Thesis Statement Analysis: Comfort and Cameron craft a clear, concise, convicting, and challenging text.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10- They don't linger. It is practical and to the point. One of the better works I've read on apologetics.
Content Enjoyment: 10/10- I'm a fan. This is something I think and pray about often...though not often enough.
Language Enjoyment: 6/10- It was well written exposition venturing into narrative at times.
David Copperfield (Classic)
(Side-note: As I have been reading this, I have stumbled across nearly all of our vocabulary terms... Interesting.)
Thesis Statement Analysis (In fact, just have a little introductory paragraph!):
Fields of Copper
“Ride over all obstacles, and win the race!” (Dickens). David Copperfield is a story about a boy from England at the turn of the century who overcomes trials and experiences a wonderful life. After being abused by his step-father, he is rescued by his wealthy aunt who changes the course of his life. Though this book moves very slowly, it has compelling characters and utilizes wonderful language.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 7/10- This is Dickens. Thus, it is not for the faint of heart, nor the struggling reader, nor the man who has other things to do with his time....but it's so good once you've plowed through it!
Content Enjoyment: 8/10- Ok, so I actually loved this book by the end. However, I'm going to give it an 8 because it really did take me some time to really get to that point.
Language Enjoyment: 10/10- Dickens is a wonderful crafter of language and characters. I'd put him amongst the best ever.
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though terribly written, the content was extremely interesting and the format conducive to quick reading.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 7/10- Nothing about this book was challenging, so that is not the reason for the 7. Dyke writes like he talks--scattered. This makes the book fun (for a Dick Van Dyke fan), but destroys the flow. That impedes readability. HOWEVER, as I stated above, it does make for fast reading. It's like you're reading snippets rather than chapters.
Content Enjoyment: 10/10- Though portions of his life, particularly his spiritual life, disappointed me, it was fun learning about a man I have long enjoyed.
Language Enjoyment: 5/10- But that's ok. :D
The Giver (Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though intriguing, the plot left something to be desired and the craft was more summative than narrative.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 10/10- Very simple. Very short.
Content Enjoyment: 6/10- Ok. So, had this been my first dystopia, I might have enjoyed it more. It wasn't. Thus, the plot was too predictable. More distracting, however, was how the story moved along. Large portions was just us being told what was happening instead of shown. This hurt the enjoyment for me.
Language Enjoyment: 6/10- She writes well.
The Hobbit (Classic/Free Choice)
Thesis Statement Analysis: The Hobbit was captivating due to its fast pace, well-developed characters, and intriguing setting.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 8/10- For Tolkien, this is extremely readable...which might lend to its being one of my favorites.
Content Enjoyment: 10/10- This was so good. I've only read the first Lord of the Rings book (Fellowship of the Ring) at this point and, honestly, was about to give up on J.R.R. His writing is wonderfully descriptive, but SO SLOW. However, The Hobbit has piqued my interest in his world again.
Language Enjoyment: 10/10- Hands down, he's one of the best writers to ever tell stories. Period.
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though long, this biography was surprisingly detailed, wonderfully written, tremendously enjoyable.
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):
Readability: 8/10- Some German and theological terms could be difficult for younger readers.
Content Enjoyment: 10/10- As stated in my thesis, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I feel like I literally lived alongside Bonhoeffer. Reading this was an experience--an impacting one.
Language Enjoyment: 8/10- Honestly, for a biography, this was incredible. At no point did I find it dry or slow.
Choas, Renagade, Lunatic, and Elyon (4 Free Choice Books)
Side Note: This was actually 4 separate books, but it was the end of a series and my feelings toward them were essentially the same.
Thesis Statement Analysis: Though the series itself represents immense creativity, these stories were too predictable and repetitive, and the characters were flat (the four main characters were really interchangeable).
Rating (1 BAD- 10 GOOD):Readability: 10/10- Simple Content Enjoyment: 5/10- Too predictable. Too repetitive. Not enough character development. Language Enjoyment: 3/10- :) |
No comments:
Post a Comment