Book Review: Thornhill by Pam Smy

Thornhill by Pam Smy

** spoiler alert ** I am listing this for YA and grades 7-8, however it's really 8th grade level. I would hesitate to give it to 7th grade. This is an eerie, gothic-style diary format book. I love the references to other classic literature: Jane Eyre, Secret Garden!

Two stories are told at the same time, one in 1982~ which tells the story (diary format) of Mary Bains, a bullied and lonely orphan living at Thornhill. She is abused by one other girl in particular and she plans a way to get her revenge on her tormentor. When she sets her plan into motion, she relishes the feeling of power that she feels. But unlike those who bully her, she realizes that that she does not want to be a bully.

The other story is set in 2017~ and tells the story of Ella, whom we know significantly less about. We see her story through a graphic novel format (honestly I would love to see a Jane Eyre book by Smy) which draws the reader into the mystery of Thornhill. She learns about Mary and eventually decides to befriend her.

I did not like the ending at all. I felt like the story ended abruptly and it left me feeling disappointed and wish it ended differently (Maybe Mary helping Ella's home situation?). Because of Ella/ Mary's decision, a lot of other people would be hurt ~ another point to the plot which was not even explored.

Read the full review here:
Good reads review

1-Book, 1-Community Read Program

1-Book, 1-Community Read Program

A local school librarian mentioned the idea of collaborating on a 1-book, 1-community program.  I have never organized a program like this, so naturally I am very excited to help coordinate it!  I really like the idea of everyone reading the same book and talking about what they have learned from it.  By everyone sharing a book in common, it promotes conversations throughout the community alongside literacy.  What is better than that?  There are a few different thoughts I am thinking at the moment:

1.      Choosing a book that is enjoyable for so many people, children and adults.  My inclination is always towards classic Victorian literature, biographies, or historical fiction.  However, I think it would be best to either have a book that is comical and easy to read or non-fiction so that the readers can learn some interesting facts to share with others.  Since I am collaborating with the local middle school, that adds the more difficult task of finding a book that appeals to middle school-ers.  I guess that means that an easy, fun read is preferable.

2.      A big key to any program for me is the presence of a moral, lesson to be learned, a reason for the program.  I like to foster discussions regarding character education.  Especially in this town, I really want to focus on good, family values.  So how can this program which will hopefully bring families and neighbors alike together facilitate the learning of life lessons?  This is probably what I will think about most during this project, but as I am sharing my thoughts here, this is where I am starting.

3.      What has other schools done that has been successful and not-so-successful?  How will I find this out?  Other than countless hours of research online?  It’s time like this when I really wish I had a mentor.

 

4.      How am I going to get so many books into every family in this community?  It’s not like this is Albany, but we are talking about a large number of books.  How will a program like this be funded?  My budget will not allow for such expenditure.  It is possible that there are grants which could be used for this, however that means more work on my part and it could still not lead to enough money to purchase the needed materials.  I could try to partner with a funding organization, but that is hard to come by in this local vicinity.  Again, what has other schools done?  Saratoga has a community reading program, and participants purchase the book themselves.  However if I want to get as many people involved as possible, there has to be none/ minimal cost involved.

5.      What is the role of a public Library?  I obviously have demonstrated that I am linking the Library to the school system in more ways than usual, and I want to work closely with the school system.  However, what can I do here to facilitate this program?  I know that I am the link between the school and the community, but where do I go from there?  How do I make this big?

6.      Publicity……I’ll think more about this later.  Do I dare let the press in on this??  Perhaps if I wrote a press release…..I should think of what else I can do for marketing.

7.      To read through:  http://readtothem.org/our-programs/one-school-one-book/

Librarian Thought for the Day

Have you ever wondered why fiction is cataloged differently than non-fiction? It actually isn't supposed to be! Here's an interesting explanation from the library list-serve this morning:

"The Dewey Decimal System started to catalog ALL books, fiction and
non-fiction. That's why you have the fairy tales in 398, and all Literature
(novels, plays, short stories, etc...)
<http://dewey.info/class/8/e23/2012-10-24/about.en> in the 800s.

Most libraries choose to not catalog their Fiction in the 800s, because the
section would be overwhelming. They also decide this so that they can
re-organize Fiction by authors' last names and/or genres,, which is an
easier way to browse, from a patron's point of view, compared to the
Dewey's organization (by language then by format)."

Christy by Catherine Marshall

This is the classic and inspiring tale of a young schoolteacher who leaves her home to teach in the Smokey Mountains. 

I read the Collector's edition which has never-seen-before photos of Marshall's mother, the inspiration for Christy. 

Ultra Marathon Man

I am currently reading Ultra Marathon Man.  Review coming soon!