Somewhere on your high school reading list, or maybe your upcoming summer reading list, William Golding's Lord of the Flies will probably appear.  Before you start groaning about it, I'm here to tell you that the book has earned it's place in the classic category and that the themes discussed are really relevant today.  Yes, the book was first published in 1954 so the world was in a completely different state then, but the story is one that nearly all young boys can imagine no matter when or where they lived.  Twelve middle school age boys become stranded on an uninhabited island.  With no adults and no rules, the book tells the story about their newly created "society" and their slow descent into chaos.  Ralph, the protagonist, sees early on that he must maintain order on the island or the boys will be destroyed by their own primal instincts.  Slowly but surely, some of the boys begin to succumb to their animal desires after one boy named Jack defects from the group.  While Jack and Ralph start out as similar as any two guys in a class, they quickly differ in how they perceive leadership (Jack rules with an iron fist and Ralph is more benevolent).  If you think about your grade, you can probably see characteristics that mimic these two - as well as many of the other - characters in the book.  Themes in the novel include order vs chaos, nature vs nurture and survival vs sacrifice.  There is a fine line that divides each of these, and Golding draws those lines with clear detail.  The most amazing thing about reading Lord of the Flies now is the recognition that if 12 boys were stranded on an island today, whether they had 1950's radios or iPads, spectacles or contact lenses, the twisted reality that would ensue might be exactly the same.   So my advice is - read this with an open mind.  Ignore what older students might tell you about the book, and listen to what some of your favorite current authors might be saying instead: 

"Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books.  That was a big influence on me as a teenager, I still read it every couple of years." - Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games 

For today’s blog entry I wanted to write about another favorite author of mine, Malcolm Gladwell.  Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian author who wrote many articles for the magazine The New Yorker and then wrote five amazing books: The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw and David & Goliath.

Gladwell’s first book The Tipping Point focused on the exact moment (the “tipping point”) when small ideas became huge ideas or when an enormous but unexpected change suddenly happened.  He uses examples like the moment when an unknown shoe company suddenly became the latest craze, why certain TV shows captivated the public at a certain time or how rumors instantly catch on and are spread.  This was the first book I ever read that connected current social trends with human behavior patterns and it was really cool.  It made me want to read all of the others, and definitely my 2 favorites are  Outliers and David & Goliath.

Outliers asked why certain people or groups achieve success, and the answer isn’t just “because they work really hard and get good grades” (obviously that helps, though).  Sometimes the answer was that the people were born at in the perfect month to be the right size & maturity for Canadian ice-hockey teams – these statistics were incredible.  David & Goliath looked at “underdogs” and why certain people defy all odds and are able to beat everyone’s expectations.  The book gives examples where being underestimated can be an advantage (such as having a physical disability or having a tough childhood) and it discusses how beneficial it can be for a child to go to the most prestigious school they can.  All of these can be referenced back to the biblical story of David facing the giant Goliath.  Everyone thinks that Goliath should have won that battle, however the book lays out plenty of evidence that proves Goliath to be the clear underdog!

Even if you only skim the books and read a few chapters (ex: the hockey and Beatles chapters in Outliers, the dyslexia or ivy league school chapters in David & Goliath), I think you will love the way Gladwell blends science and statistics into his writing.  Most writers keep the research by itself, but Gladwell’s unique style keeps the reader involved and forces them to focus on the books.  He adds in loads of examples and helps people learn things and, more importantly, helps us question everyday facts that seem like certainties.  It is a tough line to walk but Gladwell does this beautifully.

For today's blog entry I wanted to talk about a great author named Brad Meltzer. Meltzer is a historical fiction/mystery writer who has written several books, most involving one character, Beecher White, an archivist (someone who maintains historical records) for the presidency. He protects the presidency by thwarting several threats against the office, all while uncovering interesting facts about prior presidents. His most recent novel, The Fifth Assassin, is a masterpiece of political fiction and thriller mystery. Someone has been recreating presidential assassinations with step-by-step accuracy, and Beecher must find the murderer before he kills the current President. Meltzer’s mix of political fiction and mystery creates a unique blend of a thriller and history which appeals greatly to me.  Even if you don't love history class in school, you will walk away from Meltzer's books having learned more than you imagined about U.S. history, simply because you get caught up in the plot line.  Beecher's unbridled love of politics - past and present - makes the reader really care about the characters and the preservation of the presidency.  

One more thing: Brad Meltzer's next book - The President's Shadow - comes out on June 16, 2015 and looks completely awesome.  Beecher finds a message in the White House Rose Garden and the message has major consequences for both the President and Beecher's family.  I can't wait for it to come out... 

For my next blog entry I wanted to discuss a book that I recently finished reading, called Found by Harlan Coben. Harlan Coben is an excellent author who has written a large collection of mystery novels. He also has a young adult series that occasionally connects with several of the regular adult books. Found is a thrilling mystery novel that is part 3 of a series featuring Mickey Bolitar. Mickey is name of the main character (a teenager) who finds himself thrown into a strange world of mysteries after the tragic death of his father. With the help of his two friends he struggles to manage high school while unwinding the web of lies that surrounds his father’s death. One great thing about Harlan Coben's books is that he writes about places near me in New Jersey (which is cool when you recognize them) and he writes characters that you feel like you know.  This is particularly true in the Mickey Bolitar books, where you will get to know characters that are exactly like people in your own school.  Coben also incorporates crazy twists and turns that keep the reader involved and unable to put down the book. Seriously, do not start his books late at night...you'll be up reading until school starts in the morning!

One more thing: Coben's next stand-alone novel called The Stranger comes out on March 24, 2015 and looks great - and creepy!  A total stranger shows up in a town out of nowhere and weirdly knows everyone's family secrets.  I'm definitely reading this!

After thinking about which books to select for the start of the Raiareads program, I decided on Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and True Grit by Charles Portis.  They are two excellent books - both adventure stories involving young teens but written 20 years apart and set in vastly different worlds.  Ender's Game is a futuristic book where the entire human race is at war with an alien species.  One child is forced to go through a treacherous military academy in order to become a general and ultimately defeat the aliens.  In True Grit, a fourteen-year-old girl's father is murdered by an infamous criminal, and she decides to track him down with the aid of a U.S. Marshal named Rooster Cogburn.  She hunts down the man who killed her father and discovers more about herself along the way.  Both books require their hero to muster courage in the face of unknown threats, and though one involves a boy in the future and the other centers on a girl in the past, both stories allow their main character to develop self-awareness and integrity they never knew they had.  As an added bonus, both novels have been made into really great movies - definitely see them but try to read the books first.   I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did!

So - my first blog entry discussing what I like most to read and why.  I guess my preferred genres are science fiction and historical fiction - mainly because I like when authors help me envision a world that is different from (or derivative of) my world.  I am currently reading an excellent sci-fi series similar to that of Ender's Game called Insignia by SJ Kincaid.  The series features a fourteen-year-old boy named Tom who becomes recruited for a military group called Combatants that is fighting WWIII in space.  Tom has to adjust to his new life, balancing his roles and battling unexpected political battles, so that he can become a combatant.  I love this new series and have recommended it to my friends, but in doing so I often get asked the name of my #1 favorite book.   I have to confess that my all-time favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.  Written in 1844 it remains the ultimate story of adventure, redemption and revenge, and I never tire of rereading this classic.  These are just a few examples of the kind of books I enjoy reading - much more to come.