Tag Archives: YA

Isabel in Chains: learning with YA historical fiction

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Madam looked down without seeing me; she looked at my face, my kerchief, my shift neatly tucked into my skirt, looked at my shoes pinching my feet, looked at my hands that were stronger than hers. She did not look into my eyes, did not see the lion inside. She did not see the me of me, the Isabel.

O, joy! A new literary heroine to love.

I’ve fallen for the spunky slave girl in Laurie Halse Anderson’s YA historical fiction book, Chains. Isabel is a fighter, despite that fact that she is a slave in 1776 America. She has nothing, yet she fights with a fierce determination within her. Like the patriots fighting around her to be free from a British king, Isabel is waging her own private war. Her goal: freedom from slavery.

I was never much for history as a subject in public school – I hated the memorization of dates and dull text books – but now as a homeschooling mom, I’m filling in the gaps of my own learning. I have much to learn about slavery and Revolutionary America. I’m happy to have Isabel teach me.

I picked up Chains for my 12-year-old, my girl who gobbles up books with an eager hunger for more. Susan has yet to let the Story in history capture her imagination. I’m hoping Isabel, a true-to-life, spunky girl will help my daughter discover there is more to history than just past truth that happened to now dead people.

I’m hoping historical fiction, like Chains, will be the gateway for my daughter to love learning history.

In the meantime, I wait for the sequel, due in October. And I’ll be looking for more books by Laurie Halse Anderson.

You had me at imagination

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Books That Build Character by William Kilpatrick and Gregory and Suzanne M. Wolfe

From Books that Build Character (A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values Through Stories) by William Kilpatrick and Gregory and Suzanne M. Wolfe:

If you’re a parent, you’ve got a battle on your hands — a battle with popular culture over your child’s imagination. And like every battle this one has moments when it seems impossible to carry on. But it’s not all grim, because one of the best ways of empowering your child’s imagination is also one of the most enjoyable. The books we’ve listed are stories of virtue and character, but they are many other things as well. Some of them are hilarious, some mysterious, some adventurous, some heart-breakingly poignant, some a combination of all of these.

As a mother and homeschooler, I’m  loving this book. From page 60 to 313, it’s lists of picture books, juvenile fiction, YA, fantasy and science fiction, biographies, fairy tales, historical and contemporary fiction, folktales, myths and legends – all with the indent to build into the moral lives of young readers. There is even a small list of sacred texts.

This is the kind of book you want to bring with you when it’s time to go book shopping.

The author’s summarize each book so you can do a quick preview. Good if you are unsure a book is a good match for your reader.

For more about teaching good values using great literature, especially to boys, visit the MOB society blog today.

Disclaimer: Yup, affiliate links. Yet this is a book I purchased, learned to love, and now want to spread the word, just one book-loving, homeschooling parent to another. Hope it helps your homeschooling adventure.

Twilight: Final thoughts and links

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apple of tempation; cover art; Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Remember those two questions I posed at the beginning of my reading the Twilight books? With this final Twilight post, I’d like to answer both of those questions:

What does the Twilight series teach young people about sex and purity?

Bella calls Edward “old fashioned” because he resists her advances. Bella’s father, Charlie, tells her “times have changed” and to “be careful” when he suspects the teens have become intimate. I was so disappointed in this exchange between father and daughter. I hoped Charlie would be the one voice of reason for a girl lost in so many ways.

Moms (and any dads reading this), there is nothing wrong with telling your daughters (and sons) to wait for sexual intimacy. Purity is not old fashioned, out-of-style, or only for the eternally 17 year old vampires concerned for their eternal soul.

Purity is for today’s teen too.

And if you don’t want to play the No-Sex-Because-the-Bible-Says-So card, think about this:

AIDS. STDs. Unwanted pregnancy. All real issues any sexually active teen needs to think about. Purity for the teen just makes sense.

I’ve read articles in which the books are praised for being pro-marriage. Unfortunately, that’s a bit misleading. Bella isn’t enthusiastic about marrying Edward. Marriage for Bella is just a way for her to get what she wants: transformation into an immortal, and forever-beautiful vampire, protection for the wolf-pack, her friends and family in Forks, Washington.

Sounds more like Bella is looking to escape her problems. That’s no way to enter a marriage.

Do the books promote godly behavior?

The books have snippets of things that I like, but it’s not enough for me to say the series truly encourages how I want my sons and daughters to behave in relation to the opposite sex, especially when dating.

Like I said, I wish Charlie gave Bella different advice regarding her boyfriend vampire.

Edward refuses Bella because he wants to protect his eternal soul. Throughout the first three books,  he’s committed to his decision, but at the end of Eclipse, Edward agrees to do whatever Bella wants – including sex – before she becomes a Cullen vampire.

Hmmm. That’s not exactly biblical virtue. Poor, Edward! He almost had it right.

Lust, obsession, low self-worth – these are the attributes taught to our girls when they read Twilight.

Methinks we can do better by our daughters.

Twilight elsewhere

For more commentary on the Twilight series:

Christ and Pop Culture, “Twilight: a positive or negative influence for teens?”

Her.meneutics, “Consider the vampire.”

Visionary Daughters: How Twilight is re-vamping romance

5 Minutes for Books: Touched by a Vampire (book review)

That’s it.  .  . for now

I shall put Twilight to rest for now. Yet one never knows when the opportunity will present for another post. I hope you found this series helpful in your understanding of Twilight and it’s message to our young readers.