Customer Comments

The timeliness of this book is almost prescient. The story takes place on the Oregon coast and involves all different ages of women involved in the idea of motherhood somehow, some way. The book will push the reader to think critically about politics and whether it should be involved in the governing of women's bodies. A twist on most of the dystopian novels out there. When it comes out in paperback I'll be considering it for my reader's group.

I have been trying to read books from more diverse authors and settings. This certainly fit the requirements, acknowledging that Nnedi Okorafor is US born to Nigerian parents. Lagoon takes place amid the chaos of Lagos with an alien invasion and 4 main characters, Adaora, Agu, and Anthony (human) and Ayodele (alien). It is choppy and sometimes hard to follow the story, partly due to Okarafor's intermixing Nigerian words and Pidgin English within the story. Besides different Englishes, there are a plethora of characters with diverse and varied perspectives, each with their own beliefs, genders, species, classes, and more. The story itself does not stick to one style, either. Sometimes it is written as a folktale, a memoir, a script, etc. This leads to it feeling a bit rough, yet that adds to the story line with the violent life of upheaval and humanity at First Contact. For those who might be frustrated trying to figure out the Pidgin or Nigerian meanings, there is a glossary at the back. I didn't realize this, so now I want to re-read Lagoon, learning the actual meaning and see if anything changes in the story from my original interpretation.

Ha, the protagonist, will appeal to girls who will understand her frustration at "girls can't" and boys who want a hero will find more than one in Ha's brothers. Perfect for students who shy away from reading pages and pages of small text and for children and grandchildren of immigrants, this book will shed light on why their relatives might be a bit "kooky."

This book worked well for 6th graders reading with 1st graders, helping them learn both short vowels and reading at the same time. The 6th graders enjoyed the photographs and the 1st graders enjoyed pointing out what was happening next in the adventures of Wet Hen. While the 6th graders found the text repetitive, the first graders were happy with the repeated vocabulary.

Five interesting shorts of what Victorian women endured to travel. To make it even more of a stark contrast I read the book while storm-bound on a backpack. It really lets you see how far we've come from what was expected of women as well as our gear. The stories reflect also the different women's approaches to the experiences: One woman was carried by porters-rarely walking herself, another dressed as a Tibetan nun and made it all the way to Lhasa.

I heard of this book from BookRiot and while I am not a big fan of graphic novels, I am a big fan of assertive female characters and this novel does provide that. While Delilah does show cleavage like most graphic novel females, it is rather entertaining to read Selim's comment on that. I enjoyed the personalities that Cliff brought out in the facial expressions. And comments such as "one very large Mongolian man with a large sword, a small brain, and a bad temper." add to the entertainment value of this graphic and make me reconsider my initial reticence towards them.

I read this book and found it entertaining. Then I gave it to my nephew (age 11) as a gift. His mom said that he wanted to read it every night. As he was a "reluctant reader" this was excellent news. This book is great for middle school boys who need an extra push to read. Jack Gantos knows how to capture the right attitude for the 11-12 year old male audience. Where else can you read about embarrassing bloody noses and driving old lady cars?

At first I was confused by how the book started and thought about putting it down, however I then persevered and now I am glad I did. I enjoyed how the book was written from one perspective so as you read you were thinking along with the character. About 2/3s of the way through I started wondering about the whole story and then-Bam! the end came and I had to rethink. This book deserves to be read at least 2x!

As a white person I found this book to be educational and informative. I mention that I am white as a lot of time when I try to learn about diversity issues, how to reach diverse audiences more effectively when teaching, how to improve my teaching of other cultures, etc. I end up feeling bad that I was born white. While I am certainly not proud of some of the things this dominant culture has done, I still want to be left hopeful and inspired that I can do more. What I also appreciate about Delpit's writing is that she addresses the education system for ALL students, not just those of color. I look forward to reading her other book-Teaching Other People's Children.

Not only is this book filled with information, it is an easy read. You learn that a miso mixture is one of the best ways to test low-flow toilet efficacy and that Ireland is one of the "civilized" nations that did not have effective and safe water treatment facilities until the turn of the century, that is from the 20th to the 21st century! Plus so much more. A great book for everyone to learn or be reminded that "away" does not really exist. A good pairing with The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard to realize that we are all responsible.

The plot is simple and should appeal to those kids who like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys mysteries, however besides the main puzzle there are additional chapter puzzles (answers in the back). These are mostly word puzzles, plus a few math puzzles, with some perhaps needing some research or adult help. Eric Berlin also has a website for those who want more puzzles. A great gift for kids who like word searches, anagrams, etc. Could also be be used in a classroom with the chapter puzzles as "homework", extra credit (Eric Berlin's idea), or in a Gifted & Talented program, are just a few ideas on additional uses for this book. A good way to encourage critical thinking skills.