This week, I was fortunate enough to finish two books I really liked. The third I didn’t like so much, but I’m sure a number of my students would love it.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
I’ve been telling my students that this is a book about a boy, Henry, who is abducted by aliens. He has to decide whether or not he’s going to save the world. But really, it’s about love and grieving and finding a reason to march on. It’s about examining how we see each other. It’s about new loves (of different sorts) and how they’re approached. It’s not too sic-fi. It’s examine the complexities of identity. It’s a book I didn’t want to put down and would love to read again. Most likely, I’ll find the audio.

Noble Warrior by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
I wasn’t prepared for the violence in this book. Or for a teenager going up against fully trained [martial arts] adults. MD’s motivation only sort of made sense, and I felt like the store was overdone. Unfortunately it didn’t pull me in like other [books] with teenagers in law enforcement have.

I can see, however, how it would engage some of my students.

The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint
The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint. It took my wife a lot of prodding to get me to read this book, but I’m glad I did. There’s discussion of faith and the line between faith and brujería and discussion of what comes after this life. And the fear we hold onto. There’s Grace and John, whose relationship wasn’t what I expected and an ending that wasn’t the one I wanted. Alas.