Title: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Booksktore
Author: Robin Sloan
Published: October 2, 2012
Genre: Fiction
I found Mr. Penumbra while rummaging through the stacks at a library sale that I went to with my mom (you can find my haul post from that trip here). I thought the cover art looked neat (I found out completely by accident later that it glows in the dark), and the description on the back was intriguing. My initial thought before diving in was that I would be reading a mystery book about...well, books. The word "bookstore" is in the title, after all. However, what I ended up finding was a story that I can only describe as Lord of the Rings, National Treasure, and Jobs all rolled into one.
College graduate and amateur programmer Clay Jannon is out of work and running out of options. He manages to find himself a job at a bookstore. However, it doesn't take him long to realize that this store is not ordinary by any standards. For example, Penumbra's Bookstore is open 24-hours straight and is often visited in the late hours of the night by a collection of unusual patrons. They come to "check out" large, ominous volumes that Clay is forbidden to look at. Using his computer skills and receiving help from his variously talented friends, Clay pieces together the movements of the quirky clientele and discovers a secret that quickly becomes bigger than he could ever imagine.
I was captivated by Sloan's storytelling in Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, though it didn't happen immediately. Things started a bit slowly, but as Clay got closer and closer to solving the mystery, I got roped in more and more. Written in the first person from Clay's point of view, the prose is witty and engaging, especially when Clay describes Penumbra and his friends who frequent the bookstore.
One hitch that I encountered while reading was the technological jargon that peppers the story. Clay is an amateur computer programmer, but he runs in a circle of geniuses who are all technologically savvy. One, Kat Potente, is a high-ranking programmer at the Google company. The characters often mention things like "code" or "data processing" and all sorts of other computer words that I have no hope of understanding. Their dialogue left me confused in places.
To me, the absolute best part of reading this book was that Sloan crafted it as a love story to books in a time when people are addicted to their phones and tablets. He praises the independent bookstore owners and the people who still value the magical experience of opening a book with printed pages instead of ones pasted on a screen. Those people who still get excited at the smell of their favorite book will enjoy this novel.
Kaylee says:
Title: Chopsticks
Author: Jessica Anthony
Published: February 2, 2012
Genre: Young Adult
I've recently discovered the wonder that is the graphic novel; it's a genre that is growing more and more popular among young adult readers. When you hear the phrase "graphic novel" I'm sure many minds jump right to comic books. However, from a teacher standpoint, graphic novels have much to offer in a classroom setting. I won't go into too much detail in this post, but the National Council for Teaching English shares a fantastic article about using comics and graphic novels to build literacy in the classroom. You can read it here.
I found this particular book during my recent library sale hunt, and I couldn't wait to check it out.
Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral is an edgy, modern-day adaptation of the classic Romeo and Juliet story told in pictures. The plot follows two madly in love teenagers, Glory and Frank. Glory is a piano prodigy who is raised by her single father after her mother passes away. Frank is the boy next door, an aspiring artist raised by his immigrant family. The two are drawn in by the talent that the other possesses, she to his paintings and he to her beautiful music. The two share mix CDs and late-night text messages, much to the chagrin of Glory's father, who considers Frank an obstacle to Glory's rising popularity.
Fame's pressures finally get to Glory, and she suffers from a mental breakdown. Once known as the "Brecht of the Piano", Glory can now play nothing but the children's song "Chopsticks". Frank faces his own struggles throughout the book. He never quite adapts to his new school, and his grades slowly drop as he becomes more consumed by his art and his love for Glory. The story begins with the breaking news of Glory's disappearance from a rest facility for gifted musicians. From there the reader is left to piece together what happened to Glory and Frank, separating what is truth and what is madness.
The first thing that caught my attention about the book was the aesthetics. It really is beautiful! The story is told through a series of pictures, newspaper clippings, scrapbook
pages, and screenshots of text messages. Since there are very few written words, the reader is left to interpret what happens to Glory and Frank. I liked this feature. I felt that it made the story more personal because the ending became what I wanted it to be.
The book did not take a very long time to get through, maybe 45 minutes tops. However, some of the text messages include links to YouTube videos that actually exist! I didn't look every single one up, but if I had, it might have made the experience last longer. There are also the playlists of real songs that Glory and Frank make for each other that I would recommend checking out, as they will put you in the mindset of the characters.
Chopsticks was a standard teen romance. Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, parents try to keep them apart, etc. It got to be a little predictable, despite the air of mystery that hangs over the entire piece. What made it worth reading was its unique design and layout. I can see myself adding it to my future classroom library because the young ladies would find it attractive, especially when the more comic-like graphic novels are more appealing to boys.
Kaylee says:
