The Sweet Smell of Success!

Yesterday one of the students in my Green Class, Jennifer, stopped me after class to tell me that she wrote to author Ellen Hopkins. Jennifer has been reading all of Ellen Hopkins' books in verse and has really been drawn not only to the realistic characters but also the tough teen topics that Hopkins carefully explores in her books. Apparently Jennifer was so moved by all of the books that she felt compelled enough to research Hopkins online and to email her. She told Hopkins that she loved her books and was wondering if she would be in the Rochester, NY area anytime soon. As it turns out, Hopkins replied to her thanking her for taking the time to write and also said that she would be making an appearance on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at the 5th Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Fair (TBF) hosted at Nazareth College. Ellen Hopkins, Terry Truman, David Leviathan, and several others were all present at the 4th Annual Teen Book Fair signing books, answering questions, and holding sessions to meet interested readers and fans. Jennifer was tickled pink to have heard from her favorite author and really excited about the idea of seeing her in person later this year.

This morning in the Yellow Class, Lola came into first period saying that she had just read the "best book ever." She had started and finished Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. She admitted that she was an avid Twilight fan and that this book was even better than the Twilight series. She told us that she stayed up late last night to finish the book and that she did research online to see if there would be a movie of it coming out soon. She watched some trailers for the movie and asked me if I had known that there was a sequel to the book called Crescendo. I told her that I did know about Crescendo and that in my Amazon account, it was continually being recommended for me to purchase. So we got out my Droid and ordered it right then and there. She pushed the "Order With 1-Touch" button and the order was placed. Just in case you can't wait for it Lola, here is Fitzpatrick's site where you can listen to the first chapter...enjoy! We first bought the book because it was on the YALSA's Teen Top 10 List this year ranking in at #5. I'm so happy we did.  I'll never forget Lola, clutching the book to her chest as she walked it back to the bookshelf for others to enjoy. She knew that it was time to put it back but she really didn't want to. I could see and feel the connection she had with the book and am hopeful that others will find books that they love as much as she loved this one. This is why I teach.

Just when you think things are seeming bleak in classroom, there are moments like these that lift you back up again and inspire you for another day. Thank you my friends. Ms. B

LESSON IDEAS: Consider having students write and send emails of thanks to their favorite authors. As a teacher, I realize that this certainly isn't a new lesson idea but it is less about the writing of the letter than it is about the communication with an author, providing them with positive feedback and encouragement, and the positive effect it can have on students. Jennifer's actions reminded me just how important it is to reach out into the reading community and to get involved. It is inspiring!

I would also consider having students research lists of books related to or similar to ones that they already like. My knowledge only goes so far. I'm not a huge fan or certain genres but I'm getting better at expanding my knowledge base in fantasy and graphic novels this year. I create book displays similar to those in Blockbuster and books stores that say "If you like this...try this!" And line up books on the chalk tray in the back of my classroom. I think I need to instead (or in addition) push my students to do this. I think that there is power in students speaking about books with the same passion and inspiration that Lola did that is even more powerful than anything I could say to them in a book share.

The other lesson idea I have her is for students to share and record these very valuable reading experience anecdotes with the class, in small groups, in a reading log, or on a blog. This is exactly the type of thing I would love to hear my students blog about, not because I asked them to but instead because they were inspired to write about and to document thos powerful learning experiences that occur just as they did for Jennifer and for Lola.

I AM A GENIUS OF UNSPEAKABLE EVIL AND I WANT TO BE YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT by Josh Lieb

I first selected this book purely based on the eye-catching cover and the fact that it was a New York Times Bestseller. I had seen the book a few times in the book store but really knew little or nothing about it when I bought it. One of the things I liked about the cover was the nasty little boy face on the bottom of the front and I figured it was just some artsy photographic cover that really might not have anything to do with the book itself. Well...I was entirely wrong!

The book is about a young boy that I now imagine to be much like the boy on the front cover. Not only is the front artwork true to the book, the title of the book is also literally what the story is about. Young Oliver Watson is in fact an evil genius but has everyone at school and at home fooled into thinking that he is a stupid, lazy waste of a twelve-year-old body. Not only is he an evil genius, what makes the book even more interesting is that he is ridiculously rich. So rich in fact that he runs not only the school but also major political world endeavors. The basic story line is that he decides to run for seventh grade class president and is able to use all of his resources, minions, money, and evil tactics in order to win the election. As you can imagine things do not always go according to plan for Oliver so he has to use his creative genius and "adjust accordingly."

There were several things that made this book a great read for me. After having read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer last summer, I have fallen in love with a recent trend in novels that use pictures and graphics throughout the book to help tell the story. Well, this book does just that. Early on in Chapter 1, Oliver tells us about his middle school English teacher, a total dork named Mr. Moorhead and of course he includes a photograph. The picture of Mr. Moorhead resembles famous actor Jack Black and it allows Oliver to creatively make fun of Mr. Moorhead, "Moorhead considers himself a 'cool' teacher. That means he still wears clothes he wore in college. Unfortunately, for Moorhead, college was ten years and twenty pounds ago." What readers will realize later is that Oliver has secret surveillance cameras that allow him to obtain photographs of anything he wants or needs for his evil purposes.

Another thing that I loved about this book was the creative measures that Oliver was able to take because he had so much money. It was so fun to visit the world that Oliver had created for himself, he is able to get soda and chocolate milk from the school drinking fountain by pressing a secret button. He has a secret underground lair beneath his house which he accesses from his bedroom, and hundreds of other little cool gadgets and resources at his disposal. At one point, Oliver starts some rumors about his opponent, Randy Sparks. The rumor is that poor Randy sleeps naked. What could be more horrifying for a middle schooler? Well, the second rumor could be: "RANDY SPARKS HATES PIZZA. If anything, this'll creep people out more than the thought of Randy naked. Who doesn't like pizza? Communists? Terrorists? Communist terrorists? Only someone evil, that's for sure."

Not only is the book fun to read because of the pictures, it is also humorous in its use of footnotes throughout the book. Oliver uses footnotes to make little comments to us. For example in Chapter 2 titled, "Children Are Vermin," he says, "Your grandmother might call you 'Snugglepants Lovebottom,' but that's not how you introduce yourself to strangers." And then he footnotes his commentary to us: "Unless you have deep-seated psychological problems. Or  happen to be named 'Snugglepants Lovebottom'--in which case, you have my sympathy." He continues to do this throughout the book and it really adds flavor to the reading as well as to Oliver's character.

I won't say that I was thrilled with Lieb's ending but without giving too much away, I guess it is what I should have expected. I must also admit that while this book was recommended for YALSA's Teen Top Ten of 2010, I am a little shocked that it didn't make the cut. I am thrilled that it was nominated and I do hope that my students will read it. I highly recommend this book not only for its use of humor, but also for its creative storyline. It has quick short chapters and is a great fun read. I think that teens as well as adults will enjoy this book. It is clever, outrageously funny and should make for a great movie in the near future. Lieb mentioned in a recent USA Today interview that he is working on a sequel to the book entitled, I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Take You to the Eighth Grade Formal.

GRADE: A-

RECOMMENDATIONS: I would recommend this book to any upper-elementary readers to adults who enjoy humor and comedy and are looking for a quick pick. If you like Cartoon Network's show Dexter's Lab, Family Guy, or Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, this book is one you will completely enjoy. If you love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, you would also enjoy Evil Genius.

If you like this book, you might also enjoy:

• Evil Genius by Catherine Jinx
• H.I.V.E. Higher Institute of Villanious Education  by Mark Walden
• King Dork  by Frank Portman
• Spanking Shakespeare  by Jake Wizner
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• Teen Angst? Nahhh! by Ned Vizzini
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• I.Q. by Roland Smith
• The Young Bond Series: Silverfin by Charlie Higson
• Heist Society by Ally Carter
• The Misfits by James Howe

LESSON IDEAS: I would also recommend this book as a teachable text. I think the book could be used in its entirety as a middle school read. It would be fun to do during an election year or in November during election time. I think students will enjoy it for many of the same reasons I have listed above. Teachers will appreciate it for Lieb's use of descriptive writing and students will enjoy his junior-high appealing similes and metaphors, outrageous characters, and fun plot.

• As a Mentor Text: I would consider using excerpts from it to teach descriptive writing, figurative language, and dialogue. Early on in my reading of it, I used a few of the chapters with my 12th grade College Composition class. I used the physical descriptions of Oliver's teacher Mr. Moorhead from the first chapter and then physical descriptions of Sheldrake, his mother, and his pet pit bull, Lollipop. Descriptions such as these were helpful when working on physical descriptions for their own character sketches, "Lollipop is another type of creature entirely. Long, lean, lithe, she is a pit bull mix who is very, very muscular and very, very striped. She has teeth like ivory daggers, legs like dappled stalactites, and eyelashes more beautiful and more delicate than fairy wings."

• Descriptive Writing (Sensory Detail and Figurative Language): Lieb uses a variety of original similes and metaphors throughout the novel. At one point, Oliver describes Pammy Quattlebaum, the class brown-noser as nodding her head so hard in agreement with her English teacher that he can, "hear her tiny brain rattle, like a popcorn kernel in a jelly jar." Oliver says of Mr. Moorhead, "his furry fingers rest on my shoulder like caterpillars." And later, he says of his pathetic classmate, Randy Sparks, "he keeps hanging around like a wad of toilet paper stuck to my shoe. Revolting. I predict a great future for him in the field of getting-a-dead-end-job-and-dying-alone-and-unmourned." He describes one of his evil supporters, Tatiana while laughing, "a tinkling elfin river of laughter that runs through a shadowy valley of scorn." Lieb's vivid and colorful use of language in examples such as these, can surely serve to prompt several reading and writing workshop mini-lessons on figurative language and imagery.

• Footnotes: Next semester I might also use some excerpts to show how authors use footnotes as writing strategy to include humor. David Barry does this in several of his essays as does Ned Vizzini in Teen Angst? Nahhhhh! and The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian. Now that I think about it, I find the use of footnotes more common in YA books than in adult books. I've got to think about that a bit more. I wonder what that is all about? Is it because the narrators are more or less reliable?