"The Teacher" by Freida McFadden

The Teacher by Freida McFadden is about lots of inappropriate behavior.  I did not care for this one because first of all, I didn't like any of the main characters, I thought Addie was very stupid, Eve and Nathaniel were both unfaithful.  A lot of the storyline seemed too far-fetched to believe.  It had a wild ending, but not believable.  The only part that was believable for me was the bullying of Addie.  I had high expectations for this one because my husband loved it so was disappointed in it.  I did like that it was quick read!  (Karen's review, 3 stars) 

Gerard's review 6/15/24:
In The Teacher by Freida McFadden, Addie is 16 and bullied in high school.  Eve is one of her teachers who would like to befriend Addie; however, Eve finds out that sometimes it is better to leave things as they are.  This book is really good!  I LOVED IT!  The storyline is excellent and the chapters are short so it goes quickly.  I was always happy to get back into it.  What an ending!  (5++ stars)

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"Miss Daisy Is Crazy!" by Dan Gutman (Book 1 of My Weird School Series)

Miss Daisy is Crazy! by Dan Gutman is the first in the Weird School Series.  This is a funny read that I really enjoyed, even though it is a children's book.  It's about A.J. who hates school and his 2nd grade teacher, Miss Daisy who says she hates school too!  This is the first book I read by this author and look forward to reading more.  It is a quick read and good for a laugh.  I think this is a great series for younger grades.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

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"For Your Own Good" by Samantha Downing is Really Good (if you like Creepy, Twisted Characters)!

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing is about deaths of two headmasters, three teachers, and a parent of a student at a private high school.  Mr. Crutcher, the teacher of the year, teaches English but is a creep as well as the main character!  This is not a very happy book, but rather quite sinister.  I must say, I flew through it because the story line was so compelling.  The reader knows from the start that Mr. Crutcher is behind the murders but I had to keep reading to find out if he gets found out.  This was quite the story with the twist of much of it being written from the murder's view.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

In For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing, Teddy Crutcher is a good teacher.  In fact, he got the teacher of the Year award!  He tries to get the most out of all of his students.  Now if only the rest of the faculty will stay out of his way he can get on with doing his job.  If they do not, he has ways to handle that too.  I thought this book was really good.  I flew through it!  The writing and story line are very good!  I also loved all the characters and the great ending.  I loved it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Umbrella Lady" by V. C. Andrews is Touching--We Both Liked This!

The Umbrella Lady by V. C. Andrews centers on a young girl named Saffron who is the narrator of the story.  She is left alone at a train stations that her dad took her to and then he just left her there telling her to wait for him.  As she waited, and waited, and waited, an old woman with an umbrella invited her to come home with her to wait for her father who never showed.  Saffron refers to her as the Umbrella Lady.   I really, really enjoyed Saffron.  The byplay between her and the Umbrella lady is great!  Also, Saffron's interaction with other kids when she finally went to public school was priceless!  I would have liked more action, but Saffron more than made up for that.  I look forward to the second book this fall.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review 4/6/2021:  In The Umbrella Lady by V. C. Andrews, after a fire burns her home and kills her mother, 8-yr.-old Saffron is abandoned by her father at the train station and found by the Umbrella lady.  Saffron thinks of the lady that way because she always carries an umbrella with her, even if it's sunny.  The lady takes her home but leaves a note for the dad who supposedly would be back to get Saffron after he bought a few things for their new home.  Saffron reluctantly goes home with the nice old lady, but expects her father to show up soon to get her.  Will he ever come back?  What will become of Saffran?  Are the dad and the Umbrella lady in cahoots?  Is the dad really sending letters or is the Umbrella lady making them up?  

This was a very good book!  I loved it and thought about it even when I wasn't reading it.  I was always eager to get back to it and was sad to see it end, but happy to see there will be a sequel.  I loved the growing relationship between Saffron and the Umbrella lady (Mazy Dazy).  Mazy had lots of wisdom quotes and was constantly introducing Saffron to new words.  Mazy was a former teacher and home schooled Saffron, challenging her to learn something new each day.  I also enjoyed Mazy's white cat, Mr. Pebbles the third.  I highly recommend this one, especially to any teachers, retirees or even teens.   (5 stars)

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"If We Had Known" by Elise Juska

In If We Had Known by Elise Juska, Maggie has been an English composition teacher for a long time!  Her life now is anything but stable and the same goes for her daughter, Anna.  But Anna is going to college soon and Maggi has hopes that both of their lives will be more stable.  Then there is a shooting at a local mall--three people and the shooter are dead.  The shooter was a boy in one of Maggie's classes.  Turns out he wrote a paper that his classmates found troubling.  Could Maggie have done something to help this boy?  The internet is a buzz!  Can Maggie and Anna handle the heat that is coming their way?

I thought this book was really good!  The main characters were really good and I liked them both!
(Gerard's review, 5+) 

Teaser from pg. 208:  "I fail to see how, at any point, this essay wouldn't have raised alarm," Bill interrupted.  "A student wrote about weapons, Maggie, in elaborate detail, and you ignored it."

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"Where Courage Calls" by Janette Oke

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke is about Beth, a young woman who shows courage by leaving her nice home in the east to move west to teach in a school in a mining town.  Thinking she will be free from Edward, the man her parents would like her to marry, is disappointed to see him on the same train and hear he will be stationed out west too!  Beth soon makes friends with the townspeople, teaches school at the pool hall, starts a Bible club for the children and then even adds teaching English to some miners!  When one of her students almost dies from drinking some hooch, she even becomes involved in the investigation and finds a new love interest in Jack.

This Christian fiction book moved slowly and I got bored by the end, really looking forward to finishing it so I could start another.  Beth was like super woman.  She did quite a bit of praying and the whole point of the book was that God is in control as Beth surrendered to Him to show her what he wanted her to do.  It was okay but Beth just seemed a little too perfect. 
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by J. K. Rowling (video review included)

Love Crankshooks!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling is the third book of this series and another enjoyable fun read!  In this book, there are surprises and a very cool map that has been handed down from former mischief makers to current mischief makers at Hogwarts school.  I thought the classes were really interesting and was happy Hagrid got to be a teacher on care of critters.  The class on Defense of Dark Arts was also fun.  There are so many great scenes in this book that I didn't want to put it down.  I cheered when Hermione bought herself a cat named Crankshooks who has sort of a big part in the story chasing after Ron's rat, Scabbers and causing tension between Ron and Hermione.  Snape and Malfoy continue to resent Harry and cause trouble.  Of course, Harry is amazing in this book too and I enjoy rooting for him!  I loved this book and enjoyed it very much.  It has lots of action and funny things throughout.  I look forward to continuing this series.
(Karen's review7/15/15, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 7/9/16 (5 stars):
It's always good to get back to a Harry Potter book!  In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black is loose and the word is out that he wants to get at Harry in the worst way! I thought this book was very good.  I enjoyed the various storylines throughout the book and Ron and Hermione are good in this one too!  I especially liked the unexpected ending and the great writing!

Watch my review I did for "Booktube":

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"The Neighbor" by Lisa Gardner--Who Is the Real Monster?

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner is a mystery told from multiple points of view about a wife and cat who turn up missing. She has a husband who works second shift and a 4-yr-old daughter who was the last person to see her mother before she disappeared. Both husband and wife had bad childhoods but love their daughter very much and want to give her a good family. The cops are clueless as to what happened to the wife but have lots of suspects.  The husband and wife are both good liars and very good at keeping secrets.

This book kept me guessing right to the unexpected ending but I felt really bad for the neighbor. It deals with family secrets, marriage issues, prejudice, computers and sexual abuse.  This book is an eye opener to the problems pedophiles face. The plot is similar to Gone Girl; however, I liked both the main characters in this and didn’t like either of the main characters in Gone Girl. This book doesn’t have near as much swearing as Gone Girl does either. I liked it!
 (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's Review, 5++ stars:
In The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner, a husband comes home and finds that his wife and cat are missing.  The rest of the house is normal and his young 4-yr.-old daughter is fine.  The police are on it and have plenty of suspects including the husband, but no body.  This is a real page turner!  The author keeps dropping tidbits that change the focus every so often to different possible suspects, but there's really no evidence.  I really enjoyed it a lot and was blown away by the ending!

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"The Music Box" by T. Davis Bunn

The Music Box by T. Davis Bunn is about a widower (Carlson) and his 8^th grade daughter (Melissa) who move to start a new life in a small hill country town.  Angie, a childless, lonely widow, who is the girl’s eighth grade school teacher, is still grieving the loss of her husband.  This is Christian fiction, so I give you one guess as to what happens.  Both Carlson and Angie are guarded and slowly learn to open up with others and share themselves.

This is a short book about grieving and moving on, with the hope that life will get better.  It is predictable from the start and I did not care for it.  The only reason I read it was because it was my husband’s book so wanted to read it before giving it away.  We will not miss it!  (2 stars)

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"Five Days Left" by Julie Lawson Timmer is one We Both Liked! (UPDATED)

Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer contains two story lines:  the first one is about a woman named Mara who is battling severe health problems; the second one is about Scott, a teacher, who takes in a younger brother of a star pupil of his.  When the boy's mom wants her son back, Scott has a hard time letting go.  Although the Scott story line is good, the Mara story line is gripping!  The endings of both are stunning.  It doesn't get much better than this!  I found this book very hard to put down, finishing it in just two days.  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 10/11/14, 5 stars:
I liked Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer for the following reasons:
(1)  I learned about Huntington's disease, one I had never even heard of before;
(2)  Since I am a legal secretary, I could identify with the career aspect of Mara and her secretary;
(3)  The story line about Scott, a teacher, having temporary guardianship of Curtis was very interesting to me;
(4)  It brought out a lot of emotions for me:  sadness, anger, sympathy, empathy and
(5)  I wasn't sure how either story lines would end.

I felt very sad for Mara and her family and could easily understand why she planned to commit suicide.  I loved how Scott took in Curtis while his mom was in jail and was so upset at the thought of losing him.  It was kind of an interesting sideline how the author brought Mara and Scott together through an online forum that they both used for support.  This book shows how sometimes people need strangers who they can open up to as Mara did with her cab driver, Harry, a recovering alcoholic and with the online forum.

I was more interested in Scott's story line than Mara's because Mara's was just so sad.  In Scott's, I at least had hope!  I think this would make for a good book club read!  

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"What Has Become of You?" by Jan Elizabeth Watson (Writer's Workshop)

What Has Become of You by Jan Elizabeth Watson is about a young woman named Vera who is a substitute English teacher at an all-girls school and one of her students named Jensen.  I loved the character of Vera and Jensen too.  Much of the book is journal entries the girls write to Vera.  If you are familiar with The Catcher in the Rye, you may find this book more interesting because that is the book the English class is discussing and there are a lot of references to it.  Gerard thought it moved along at a good pace and kept his interest; however, Karen was completely bored with it for the most part and kept dozing off when reading it, not even making it to the end.  Gerard thought the ending was a little strange and gives it 4.5 stars.  Karen hopes to go back to it someday to finish it, but is taking a break from it for now and will read something else.  

Now you should read it to see which of us you agree with since we both had different opinions about this one.
(A combined review by Gerard and Karen)

We received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  post a book review.

"The Road Out--A Teacher's Odyssey in Poor America"

The Road Out--A Teacher's Odyssey in Poor America by Deborah Hicks is a true story about a young teacher who teaches seven young girls in a poor neighborhood. The parts of the book I enjoyed were:

(1) When the teacher was trying to get through to the girls, and having a hard time;

(2) How each girl had her own personality and outlook on life; and

(3) The last few chapters that let you know how the girls are doling.
Not a must read, but is a good read. I think any teacher would really enjoy, but even if you aren't a teacher, you may like it. I did!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Teaching In The Terrordome" by Heather Kirn Lanie (UPDATED)

Teaching In The Terrordome--Two Years in West Baltimore With Teach For America by Heather Kirn Lanier is the true story of a young teacher's first time teaching in an inner city school in Baltimore called "The Terrordome." As I read this book, I quickly learned why! I enjoyed this book very much because Heather told it as it was and pulled no punches. It is funny, sad, eye opening and real. I think the best pat is the epilogue when she tells you there is no magic wand that can fix the problem, but to her credit, she still wants to try. If you liked this kind of book about real teaching experiences, you will enjoy this one!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaching in the Terrordome by Heather Kirn Lanier tells about her two-year experience of teaching 9th grade English for Teach For America in a Baltimore inner-city school at risk of being taken over by the state. She shares about the 6-week training she received to prepare her to teach and her feelings and thoughts about the inequality of education between the middle class and lower income kids. It had my interest at the beginning but by the second year, it dragged along for me. This is a realistic account of how the norm of teaching in an inner city school for Teach For America is. She felt like a failure because the majority of her students were still barely passing and nothing much changed from when she started except for being made aware of how bad off some schools really are.
I liked other ones much better. Guess I just like happier endings and more inspirational ones like I'd Like To Apologize To Every Teacher I Ever Had by Tony Danza, and Nobody Don't Love Nobody by Stacey Bess.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

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"Almost Home" by Joan Bauer

The girl, Sugar, has a rescue dog, Woof!  Woof!

First off, Almost Home by Joan Bauer is not a dog book in spite of the cover. It is a very good children's book about a young teen girl, Sugar Mae Cole, who finds herself homeless and put into foster care. I liked how it was written as well as the story. I loved Sugar and found myself cheering her on through her ordeal. This is a feel good book that I recommend.
(Gerard's review)

Almost Home by Joan Bauer is an inspirational story about how Sugar, her dog Shush and her mother, Reba lose their home and persevere to get their lives back to "normal."  Both are sweet people that are likeable characters.  Sugar expresses her feelings in poetry and thanks to some nice people who come into her life, finds herself in a good home.  I liked how the dog sort of parallels Sugar's growth as it gets braver throughout the book after having had a bad start.  The issue of trust is also addressed, especially trusting the right people. 

I enjoyed this book because it shows people can rise above bad circumstances and gives hope to kids who may be going through hard times.  I really liked how the mother instilled an attitude of gratitude in her daughter through a silly thank you card game and the challenge to "live bold." 
(Karen's review) 

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"Okay For Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt is about Doug, a 14-yr.-old who is upset about moving to a new town and leaving his friends. The story takes place in 1968 during the Vietnam War that Doug’s oldest brother is fighting in. He also has an older brother, who gets great pleasure from picking on him and an abusive father. Doug’s idol is the Yankee ballplayer, Joe Pepitone and a signed jacket by Joe is Doug’s most prized possession. Doug narrates about his high and low points as he goes through adjusting to the new town and with the help of several caring people, he actually gets to like it. When he sees a beautiful bird book in the library, he is drawn to it and the librarian encourages him to draw the different birds. Art becomes his passion and he likens how he feels to how he thinks some of those birds feel. It’s a well-written book that gives the reader insight into the feelings of a young teenage boy. It’s a good read that I think any teen could relate to and enjoy.
(Karen's review, rating 4)

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"I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had” by Tony Danza (UPDATED)

Update 9/22/12:
This non-fiction book was a whole lot better than I thought it would be! I always liked Tony Danza from his TV shows. In this book, it's the kids that steal the show. That's not to say that Danza isn't good, he is. I enjoyed this book very much—it made me realize how difficult teaching actually is. I sure wish I could have seen the A&E show about his class, but this book will have to do. Loved it! 
(Gerard's review, rating:  5+stars)

 
I’d Like to Apologize To Every Teacher I Ever Had—My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High by Tony Danza is an eye opening read that shows what a hard job teaching is. When pushing 60, Tony Danza realized he was running out of time and seriously considered a change of direction. He looked into Teach For America and found out that technically, he qualified. He was approached about making a reality TV show using his class which he and the school agreed to reluctantly. He made it clear there would not be a script to add drama. All he had to teach was one English class for a double period, but that was plenty challenge for him. He also assisted in rounding up students for class and was an assistant football coach. He said his year of teaching was the greatest year of his life because he learned more and worked harder than he ever had. As he engaged his students in learning, he won their respect and grew to really care about them as individuals. I loved the exuberance he felt at the end of the year.

Having been a substitute teacher myself and having taught Sunday School for many years, I really enjoyed this book. I liked how he actually went into what went on in his class and shared his innovative ideas as to how he tried to engage the students. I also liked seeing him grow as a teacher and gain the respect of not only the students, but also the veteran teachers and administrators. It is an inspiring read that anyone connected with education would probably enjoy.
(Karen's review)


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"Catching Fireflies" by Sherryl Woods

Catching Fireflies by Sherryl Woods (A Sweet Magnolia Novel) is about a small town romance between a doctor and a high school English teacher who both are concerned about a girl in her class who is being bullied, both at school and on the Internet.  This did not grab me like I expected it would.  I know this is a popular series so perhaps my expectations were higher than they should have been, but it seemed to plod along and the dialogue seemed lame to me.  I enjoyed the storyline about the bullying more than I did the romance, but even that lacked spark.  It was more about how the adults stepped up to stop the bullying than it was about being bullied.  I know Sherryl Woods is a "Bestselling Author" but I was not thrilled with this one.
(Karen's review, my rating 3 stars)

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"Every Secret Thing" by Ann Tatlock

Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlcok is about how God sees all of us and calls to us if we listen.  The author makes this point through the characters in this story.  Beth Gunnar is a lonely English teacher who now teaches at the prep school she used to attend herself, where she was inspired by her English teacher, Mr. Dutton.  Unfortunately, she felt betrayed by him and couldn’t stop thinking about it.  She takes an unhappy student, Satchel Queen, under her wing and they develop a close friendship through their love of books and poetry. 

I didn’t care for this book much because it is slow moving and the teacher-student relationship just seemed very strange to me.  I thought it odd that Beth only seemed to care and be interested in one of her students.  I liked Ann’s other book, Promises to Keep, so much more and was disappointed in this one.

 (Karen's review)

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"Nobody Don't Love Nobody" by Stacey Bess

I loved the movie "Beyond the Blackboard" which is based on Nobody Don't Love Nobody--Lessons on Love from the School With No Name by Stacey Bess, a teacher who taught homeless children at a family shelter, a school with no name. She shares about her experience and her love for the students.  Not only did she teach them, but they taught her as well about love and what it is like being homeless.  This book gives insight into the effects homelessness has on children and challenges the reader to get involved and take action to show love to others and make the world a better place.  Stacey Bess was put in a unique teaching situation and rose to the challenge.

Here is a quote that I think sums up her whole point of the book from page 96:

But we can't impose our own goals, wishes, or help on anyone. We can only teach, support, and love. We give them more opportunities, more choices. Then we love them regardless of the choices they make, hoping that they will learn to make better ones in the future.

I think any teacher would find this book inspiring and anyone who has compassion for the homeless would certainly find this interesting.  I liked the movie better though than the book, but the book is good too.  At the end of the book, she has an extensive list of different ideas on how people can get more involved by serving others. 
(Karen's review)

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"Growing Pains" by Dwayne S. Joseph

Growing Pains by Dwayne S. Joseph is a good YA novel about a teenage boy named Brian. His teacher knows that he is a good student and tries to help Brian. Brian makes some bad choices and has to deal with the problems they bring. It goes fast and you really get to care about the people in the book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Here's my teaser from it.
(Gerard's review)

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