Emily's Fortune (Emily #1) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

I got hooked into this story like a fish to a bait. Luella, the wealthy owner that Emily's mom works for loves order and quiet, except when she picks up the carriage reigns. Then she's "Looney Luella" that drives like Mario Andretti. My father is like that wanting things done in a particular way and when he gets behind the wheel of a car he's yapping about engine sizes and flinging the car around asphalt at high speeds. I'd purposefully not wear a seat belt on the leather surface in the back seat because I thought it so much fun playing pinball with the side doors. Dad never killed anyone, but Looney Luella did. She killed herself and Emily's mom in a carriage accident. Shucks, this should be tragic, except when Emily sees Mrs Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire, you know things are going to get silly and they do when the threesome can't understand a word Emily says when she explains she has an "Aunt Hilda in Redbud" to which they respond, "What?" You have an "anthill in bedbug?" Add to that the large billboard type western letters in large font at the end of the chapters with cliffhangers where Emily is "flippin' flapjacks" or "tumblin' tarnation," or "blinkin' bloomers" surprised by what she sees and you know you have a rippin' adventure that will make you laugh.

The social services show up to take Emily to the orphanage just as Mrs Ready, Aim, and Fire decide Emily should take the train and stagecoach to Redbud. Emily's explains that she doesn't want to live with her uncle that doesn't like children and has only taken money from her mother. The social services woman who drives around in a carriage with the name, "Child Catching Services," on the side wants to send Emily to her uncle because it is the only way she can get a bonus. With the help of the three straight shooters, Emily sneaks off and catches the train.

When Emily boards the stagecoach she is befriended by another orphan, Jackson, who helps her with the newness of everything and teaches her to climb trees. He spots a flyer saying Emily has inherited (Looney) Luella's 10 million dollar estate. Soon people both good and bad are looking for Emily and she disguises herself as a boy trying to get to Redbud. When her Uncle Victor shows up on the stagecoach, she overhears him telling someone else that he has come into money and she knows for sure that all he wants is her money. While in disguise it becomes apparent that the villainous Uncle Victor thinks only of himself and is afraid of woman. He tries to hide from the two women in the stagecoach that find him attractive making for some humorous scenes. This balances his nasty side and shows he's human not pure evil. An exciting climax will have you yelling "hokie smokies" instead of "holy smokes."

Emily's character arc shows how she gains confidence through her adventures and has grown enough to stand up to her frightening Uncle Victor. When Emily is first at Luella's she is forced to be quiet and is not allowed to go to school or play outside. Luella wants Emily to be a mouse, "seen-and-not-heard" and she complies. While Luella means well she overprotects Emily and doesn't expose her to the world. Emily is so shy that when Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire ask her questions they misunderstand her whispering responses.

The balance between danger and humor makes this good for grades 2-5. It's a quick read at 150 pages. If you want to introduce the Wild West and the uncomfortableness of riding in a stagecoach then this would be a good read aloud. I particularly like the humor in this story. I do like a good laugh. It lightens my day and helps me not take myself to seriously. I know my students love it too. Don't miss this "super-duper-dinger-zinger" of a tale. And don't drive your carriages too fast.

4 Smileys

The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley

I went to the smallest elementary school in our district that had about two class sections per grade. I was the fastest runner in my class and when I got to the much larger middle school, I was devastated to find out I was really not the fastest runner in town. The protagonist, Jimmy Gownley, has a similar experience when he's the star of his basketball team in a Catholic school before he comes down with the Chicken Pox and pneumonia, resulting in the team losing the championship and blaming him to some extent. His grades start to slip at that time as well and he struggles with feeling average. He loves comic books and creating them and decides to give his friend, Tony, one that he has made in his spare time. Tony tells him it is not very good and that Jimmy should write about the two of them. Jimmy's response? "That's the Dumbest Idea Ever!"

Jimmy mulls over the suggestion and decides to write a comic in high school. He self-publishes the book and the townspeople living in his small mining town go crazy about it. He's in the news and on television. He gets a cute girlfriend in school. He's feeling special again until he goes on a field trip to the Metropolitan Art museum. He breathes in the Monet's and Van Gogh's of the artist world and realizes that he is not that good of an artist in comparison. But, Jimmy's a positive person. A person who is happy when his basketball team loses because he can see his progress. A person who doesn't give up. He's a hard worker and loves drawing comics so much that he is intrinsically motivated to continue regardless of the obstacles that come his way. And whether or not he is a great artist, he is okay with that.

The author's note at the end explains how he actually self-published a comic at age 20 and mailing a copy to Tony who was battling leukemia. He died shortly after. Gowley explains that his book is about new beginnings. He shows that perseverance and doing what you love in life is reward in itself even if you are only average. Generally speaking, people who stick with something for a long period of time tend to get better and better at it. Tony didn't have such a dumb idea after all.

4 Smileys

A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Twelve-year-old Tetsu's life in California is uprooted when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and he is forced to relocate to Gila River camp in Arizona. His father is sent to North Dakota because the government suspects him of being a spy. Tetsu's father is incarcerated with no due process for years while Tetsu, his mom, and young sister, Kimi, go to the internment camp. Tetsu was a ball player and he meets others players at the camp. When a baseball team is formed, he finds some happiness until a disaster befalls his sister. I love the story of a Japanese man that built a baseball field in an internment camp during World War II and while it is not the focal point it is worked into the storyline. It's such a wonderful example of the human spirit rising above injustices and bad circumstances to bring hope to others. While the details and plot are well done, the characters are not particularly memorable; however, this is a story worth telling and noting.

The plot is solid and looks into the unique friendships formed under harsh conditions. Tetsu is at first bullied by a boy who later makes peace with him when he saves him from drowning. Another boy, Horse, is a large boy that never talks. He has been traumatized by an event and Tetsu is determined to find out why he won't speak. Horse is loyal and kind, connecting with Tetsu's younger sister who seems to intuitively understand his pain. The historical details are interesting and the camp loosely run. The guards are Japanese and sympathetic toward the inmates, turning a blind eye as kids repeatedly sneak out of the fenced-in camp. Violent dust storms seep into one room homes and desert animals become pets to lonely children. Some detainees built ponds by their homes and put fish in them. The bathrooms are communal and life is difficult with long slow days. Building a baseball stadium gave purpose to many of the people's lives and relieved their boredom by providing entertainment.

The characters fell short for me with the exception of Kimi. I liked her spunk and wisdom presented in the simplicity of a child. I really wanted more of the culture represented in the book. It doesn't capture the Japanese customs much and complexity of the culture. The Japanese forced into the camps were first and second generation Japanese, so I would have expected more customs and language prevalent at the camp. When Tetsu built the pond, I was expecting some elaboration on the importance of the garden in architecture and religion. The baseball was somewhat glossed over and could have revealed the emotional relief and joy brought to the internment camp. The chapters are extremely short and while this makes it accessible to the reluctant reader, it makes for less depth and texture.

Like I mentioned before, most of the Japanese put in internment camps were American citizens and second-generation. In 1980, the Japanese American Citizens League put pressure on the government to redress the wrongs done to them during this period. The result was Reagan signing the "Civil Liberties Act" in 1988 that apologized on the behalf of the U.S. government for the wrongful internment and awarded $20,000 dollars to camp survivors. While the past cannot be undone at least this is a move in the right direction toward healing a wrong.

3 Smileys

The Riverman (The Riverman Trilogy #1) by Aaron Starmer

"Spoiler alert." Beep. Beep.

We all bring our own biases and expectations to stories that make us subjectively like or not like a book. Some might not like the unconventional ending of this book because it doesn't neatly wrap up the story. I thought its ambiguity gave the themes more depth. Was the world of Aquavania all pretend? Was it a metaphor for romantic love and saving a girl in distress? Was it a symbol of the protagonist growing up and leaving the imaginative world behind to face reality?

Twelve-year-old Alistair's neighbor Fiona suddenly shows up at his door one day and asks him to write her biography. She explains that his creative story in 6th grade made her choose him because he can believe in the impossible. Her story involves a gateway in their basement into an alternate world called, Aquavania, where stories are born and children can create any world they think up. An evil being called, Riverman, has invaded Aquavania and is taking the souls of children so that they cannot return to the mortal world. Fiona wants Alistair's help finding the Riverman and stopping him. The problem is that the more she reveals about Aquavania, the more it relates to real life situations and less real it seems as the story goes on. Alistair wonders if Fiona is imagining Aquavania as an excuse to run away from home.

The content is gritty, crude (at times) and scary. Aaron Starmer's book is well-written. I couldn't put it down, which says a lot because I wanted to put it down. Starmer captures middle school in all its ugliness. The crude sex jokes. The drinking parties. The bad kid's like Kyle that carry knives and are violent. I really did not like that time of my life when I made good and bad choices and felt more awkward than comfortable in my own skin. Middle school can be a time when your crowd of so-called friends turn on you for no reason. It can be a time when peers toy with drinking, drugs, and sex not really understanding the consequences. When Alistair, Kyle, and Charlie play a game of hiding in an large empty box in the middle of the road to see if a car would run them over, I thought, "Yep, that reminds me of some of the stupid things I saw in middle school."

A subplot has Alistair falling in love for the first time with Fiona. He is more interested in the mystery of Fiona than finding out about her. His love is immature and focused on saving her from the Riverman. The Riverman steals souls and stories. In real life the Riverman stole Alistair's story suggesting he uses Alistair for his own personal gain and glory. I did want more character development on the Riverman and his motivations which I hope occurs in the sequel. The ending teases many possibilities but gives no answers. The Riverman preys on children's emotional needs in both worlds; however, if he doesn't exist then maybe he is a symbol of first love. Alistair admits he has no real friends at school and made me wonder if he wants a girlfriend to feel like he belongs to a group. What is striking about the story is how realistic it is inspite of having an alternate fantasy world. Charlie makes crude sexual references at a girl and later Alistair is asking for protection for Fiona but its sounds like he wants sex with her when he is referring to physical protection.

The author layers many messages throughout with many ambiguous answers. Starmer's book is the opposite of an idyllic world and represents today's unsafe world that is riddled with school shootings, terrorists, and technological warfare. This is not a book meant to protect the child from the world. It presents its harsh realities and looks at adolescent reactions and emotions. Even Aquavania is not free from evil. It starts out looking like paradise but when Fiona wishes a marsupial into her rainforest she upsets the ecosystem causing the giraffes to die off. People try to slip into alternate worlds to find happiness whether it is in gaming or the creation of Aquavania, but their idyllic worlds never come to fruition. They are only temporary escapes from reality.

Kyle is a violent character that is not completely bad. He just makes bad choices over and over again. He is a foil to Alistair who can't embrace the bad-boy image completely. Charlie as the Riverman is the one that left me scratching my head. Why is he so obsessed with Alistair? Is it because of Alistair's writing ability? Or is it because as his best friend he can't tolerate Alistair with another friend replacing him? Or is he in love with Alistair? Is he an old person in a young boy's body? Time changes differently in Aquavania than in on Earth. Fiona tells Alistair she's been gone 12 years, but to him it is one day. Charlie wants Alistair to win his video game so badly he won't let him stop playing it. Is life a game and he's so power hungry he has to be on the top at all costs? The Riverman appears to like controlling Alistair and their friendship. He steals souls and stories. He stole Alistair's story in the real world. The Riverman preys on children's emotional needs. Is he a symbol of Alistair feeling like he has no real friends at school and wants a girlfriend to feel like he belongs to a group? There is plenty to talk about with this book with its ambiguities and open-ending. The sequel comes out in March. I'm hooked. I wonder where the heck the author is going to go with this plot.

4 Smileys

The Complete Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

As a kid, I loved Tom Sawyer's imaginative adventures and bucking of authority. He had the nerve to run away and didn't care if he got in trouble. I envied his manipulation of adults and kids. When Tom talks the neighborhood boys into painting the fence for him because it was fun, I remembered wishing I had his smooth talking ways so I could convince my neighbors to help me rake what amounted to 100 bags of leaves - an endless fall chore of mine and my siblings. Not only does Tom psychologically motivate the neighborhood boys into begging him to paint the fence, but he convinces them to barter their most treasured possessions to participate in doing his chore. I lived vicariously through the mischievous Tom who pulled pranks and snuck out his bedroom window at night. He gave me ideas too. I had adventures based on favorite books, made blood oaths, and giggled my way out the bedroom window with my best friend on sleepovers.  Like Tom, we purposefully made our adventures harder to represent the literature. We'd forsake a flashlight for candles, make a raft out of cattails (that sunk), eat clam chowder and Velveeta cheese (think plastic cheese) because that was what we thought pirates ate, chiseled a port hole in a wood door that was our ship, built a tree house out of shingles (what a spectacular fall when that broke), used a Swiss knife to chisel holes out of ice on a hill pretending we were mountain climbers, and more. Reading Mark Twain's books as an adult, I see his serious themes, satire, and  how he is capturing a nostalgia for imaginative childhood play.

The Romantic pastoral emerged in Europe as a reaction to the burgeoning industrial revolution and Twain represents an American counterpart movement. The pastoral genre is a look back on simpler times in an idealized way. Heroes are oftentimes alone, powerless, and alienated from society. Whereas Tom Sawyer is satirical and entertaining and creates an idealized childhood, Huck Finn shows an outcast boy that wants to live within social conventions but can't because he morally struggles with them. Nothing is cut and dry with Twain. His messages are ambiguous and what I like so well about Huck is his internal struggles with his friend, Jim, a black slave and how Huck can't treat him in the way society deems correct. Huck thinks he's sinful and doesn't question societies' ethics or morals, he just recognizes he can't follow them with a clear conscience. He's a fascinating character because he flips back and forth from racist thoughts and prejudices to ones that see Jim as a human being that deserves better. One minute Huck is concerned about Jim, his friend, and later he is telling a white woman that a steamer cylinder blew and no one was hurt. As an afterthought he tells her a black man was killed, assigning slaves to a subhuman status once again. Twain's creation of the character of Jim, the slave, is also ambiguous. On the one hand, Jim gives deep and rich answers to some of Huck's actions or questions, and on the other he is a complete buffoon. This makes me wonder is Jim relegated to a stereotype because he is just protecting himself from whites or is the author reflecting the attitudes of his time? Nothing is clear-cut which makes this such a fascinating read. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's back up and look at Tom's story first.

Tom is depicted in a series of events in the American West during the 1840s that romanticize small town life on the frontier. Tom gets together with his buddies and plays pranks on them, the school teacher, and acts out books. His guardian is exasperated by his rebellious behavior but loves him all the same. When the school master "whups" him, Tom doesn't feel bad about it nor does he think of the injustice of it. In the face of tyranny, Tom represents freedom and he seems to have this idyllic (pastoral) life and attitude. He bucks social conventions but always goes back to Aunt Polly; thus, never coming across as a complete rebel or delinquent. When Tom acts out his imaginative adventures many come true. When he dreams of being a pirate and finding treasure, it happens in real life. When he fantasizes about his own funeral, it happens. When he has mock-battles and wars, he witnesses a murder. Tom's belief in his swashbuckling tales shape his world and the adults in it are as childish as him often mirroring his actions. When he's in church teasing a pinch-bug that torments a stray dog, his amusement is mimicked by the congregation. The adults are hiding their boredom and going to church as a social convention following peers rather than out of pleasure. While children have to go, the adult church-goers intentions appear hypocritical. When Tom has to recite scriptures for Sabbath School, there is a guest of honor that the adults and children respond by "showing off." This satirical look at adult hypocrisy shows a deeper level than just a child's story about imagination and friendship.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" take a darker turn where Tom Sawyer's imaginative play-acting takes on a cruel aspect and Huck is confronted with the morally corrupt institution of slavery. At the end of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Huck is living with the Widow Douglas who is good to him  and he is rich from the treasure he and Tom discovered in the caves by their town. When Huck's drunken pap gets wind of the wealth he comes after Huck, kidnapping him and locking him in a cabin. Huck doesn't mind at first but as his father gets more violent he flees the cabin on a raft where he meets up with Jim, a runaway slave that doesn't want to be sold to another family. Jim dreams of being free and reunited with his wife and kids. Huck does not want to be civilized and is running away from the controls of society.

Huck and Jim have adventures on the raft that has become their refuge from society. They meet a wealthy family, the Grangerfords, that is having a feud with another family, the Shepherdsons. When the daughter of one family runs off with the boy from the other family, a brutal shoot-out occurs that shows the senselessness of the family's code of honor that makes Huck sick at heart. Next Huck and Jim get wrapped up with a couple of con men who claim to be a Duke and King. Huck tries to fix the immoral actions of the two in some humorous scenes as they try to swindle others out of money. Twain seems to be ridiculing aristocratic pretensions reflected in certain Americans, as well as, reflecting the carpetbaggers that came from the North to the South during the reconstruction trying to seek monetary gains at the expense of others.

Huck's journey with Jim is a moral quest or crisis of conscience resulting from interactions with others and Jim himself. He starts to see Jim as a human being and not how society views slaves, but interestingly enough, Huck never questions the institution of slavery; instead he always blames his decision to help Jim and not sell him as being a product of him not being civilized and sinful. The last third has Huck abandoning his quest and enlisting Tom Sawyer's help to free Jim. Jim becomes a caricature of a docile and ignorant slave while Huck and Jim let Tom act out his fantasies that are more harmful and less innocent as in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." Huck cared about Jim's feelings and vowed to never play tricks on him again while they were on the river, but with Tom he doesn't seem to care anymore letting Tom turn Jim's escape into a game. His development seems to have come full circle with Huck acting childish again. The ending makes it impossible to determine if the novel speaks against racism or merely reflects racist attitudes in society. It is understandable that some view the novel as a satire on racism and others can't reconcile the stereotypical depictions of slaves.

Twain wrote burlesques a popular form of parody that were favorites of working-class theatergoers in the 1840s and it is evident he uses the same technique in the subplot involving the Duke and King and Tom's escape game. Burlesques were a form of satire and Twain pokes fun at a host of people and subjects: religion, African Americans, upper classes, Britain, Native Americans, education, to name a few. While some might find his stereotypes disturbing, others might find them funny and enlightening. There's a good reason his book consistently shows up on banned book lists. It's controversial and it makes for good discussions. If we want to recognize racism, then we have to discuss it.

5 Smileys

The Norse Myths (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) by Kevin Crossley-Holland

This is quite the scholarly feat. Kevin Crossley-Holland takes different sources with conflicting versions of Norse myths and creates a medley of 32 stories that are interesting and confusing. His copious notes at the end clarify the contradictory elements and he captures the flavor of the unique poems from that period of time. Kennings are a form of Anglo-Saxon poetry that are very difficult to decipher and understand. The author presents scaldic poetry in a rich manner that's oral background becomes clear. I personally found some of the short tales a bit boring (especially the long lineage stanzas the author kindly pared down but were still long), but understand why people needed to hear it as this was the passing of history from one generation to the next. I abandoned a few of those poems. I did make it through the flyting that Loki gives but that was emotionally charged as he levels all the gods by airing their flaws. He rants and insults everyone to the point that they kill his son and use his son's guts to tie him to a rock before stringing up a venomous snake that drips poison on Loki's face. I was more engrossed in the book's tales and how the author brings them to life with rich details adding dialogue, sounds, and smells. This is not a kid's book with its ribald and violent tales. If you love Norse myths and want a literary and cultural perspective, then I highly recommend it.

The introduction begins by explaining the Viking culture and three-tiered strata. Crossley-Holland explains that Myth 5 in his book explains this strata and that the eddaic poem, "Rigsthula," is the source of information. Viking lifestyles and religions are touched on giving the foundation for how the literature sprang from the culture. I went back to reread the introduction and got more out of it the second time. While reading the myths I flipped back and forth between each story and the notes in the back of the book. I found that when I was confused as to who was whom, the author explained the contradictions as well as put the myth in an understandable context. The myths are not always sequential and sometimes the peoples names changed or I wouldn't understand that it was Odin in disguise. I had many "ah-ha" moments. Overall I enjoyed the book, but it took more concentration than usual and I found by the end I just wanted to finish it. At least the story goes out with a bang. Literally.

5 Smileys

Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal

I"m not a gamer, but I am a player of games from sports to board games to game-format lessons for students. Games are fun. Games are motivating. Games in cultures are thousands of years old. This book is about computer and video games. Video games have a bad rap in the U.S. The media has bombarded the public over the years about the negative effects of game addiction and violence. Lately, my students have been talking about Minecraft. They make good connections with the picture books I read and the game all the time. They've piqued my interest, especially when they were talking about architecture and buildings. It is the first time I've wanted to teach myself a video game. Before that, students have talked about Halo. Before that, World of Warcraft. Video games are here to stay. I picked this book up for a better understanding of the games that my students have passionately discussed over the years. I was not disappointed. Jane McGonigal gives compelling evidence that good game design connected with theories from positive psychology, cognitive science, philosophy, and sociology, make life more meaningful for gamers. 

This book gave me ideas for improving some of the current games I've designed for library skill lessons. I took stock of the competitive versus cooperative ones and even how they tie in with character education programs. McGonigal lists games that enhance kindness and courage citing positive psychology research from the Values in Action Institute on Character. She defines from different sources and subject fields what motivates gamers and how it makes them happier by giving their life more meaning. Don't expect much of the negative side to gaming in this altruistic approach to gaming. Her book is meant to persuade the reader that gaming improves the quality of life, prevents suffering, and creates happiness. It takes courage to try and prove the world can be changed by gamers and go beyond escapist entertainment. This might be too out-there for some readers, but I was inspired. More importantly, it made me look at the games I use in the library and gave me ideas to create my own.

What makes a good game, according to McGonigal, is one that focuses on intrinsic rewards that are emotionally satisfying. McGonigal quotes a ton of research on what motivates and makes people happy. The main components of good game design are: clearly-defined goals with hard and interesting obstacles, fair rules, varied and intense feedback systems, and voluntary participation. She cites many examples on how to achieve this through games that address pyschological, social, and emotional issues. I hadn't thought about how hard obstacles are important to the goal in gamer satisfaction or how failure in a game can be positive versus negative because if the avatar dies spectacularly, the gamer finds it funny. Also, the real-time data in a game shows progress that results in the gamer focusing on the performance, not the outcome. You maybe died spectacularly, but you made it 30% through the game and these are your strengths and weaknesses. This made me think of how in sports, research shows that top athletes and good coaches get players to focus on performance and not winning which makes their internal talk positive; therefore allowing them to overcome obstacles that occur in games.

McGonigal is trying to prove that games can be a platform for change, but in order for that to happen they need to move from the virtual to the real world. In an amazing statistic, she says that by the time teenagers reach the age of 21 they will have spent 10,000 hours on gaming versus 2,000-3,000 hours on reading. The 10,000 hour threshold is quoted from Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Outliers," that says the key to success is logging in this many hours on a task in order to have great success. McGonigal says the strength of gamers is working together collectively or "crowdsourcing" and that when harnessed they can accomplish huge tasks such as Wikipedia or the 2009 British parliament scandal. She explains how Wikipedia is set up as a game and how they get volunteers and information at scholarly levels; how in eight short years this cognitive technology created a collective wealth of information that would otherwise be unachievable. The British scandal, she explains, involved members of parliament making illegal expense claims and the Guardian newspaper uncovering the story. The problem was it required the newspaper to go through almost 500,000 scanned claim documents. The Guardian created a game and enlisted gamers to help go through the claims. In three days, more than 200,000 players analyzed 170,000 documents. All of it was voluntary and resulted in the resignation of many politicians. Games, McGonigal argues, can help the common good and be catalysts for change.

McGonigal wants to go beyond entertainment games and create antiescapist or alternate reality games (ARGs). ARGs are designed to be linked to intrinsic rewards that bring people the most happiness. Good game design for ARGs, McGonigal explains, gives more meaning in life because it is connected with a much larger goal that helps improve the quality of life and is for the common good of all. Research shows that people are the most happy when they are serving others and not themselves. ARG games should create satisfying work, inspire hope for success even if the goal seems impossible, and create strong social connections. She does make it clear that no single ARG exists that is changing the world; however, they are making differences in cancer research, hunger, and energy conservation. ARG's designed to appeal to cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities in humans make them a powerful source of enacting change with the masses.

While this book focuses mainly on positive aspects of gaming, it does give bits and pieces of the negative. Her book tries to counteract cultural taboos associated with the negative aspects of gaming. I would have liked more discussion on both sides of the issue, but I appreciated the inspirational effect of the text that targets positive aspects of gaming. What I did not expect was how her book made me think of ways to teach mundane skills in a more exciting way. If you've ever had to teach kids how to find books using the Dewey Decimal system, it can be unmotivating and boring as all-heck. I turned it into a board game and kids now ask me if they can play it. I'd like to create a video game that teaches how to shelf books or use Overdrive. It would be so much fun to tie a shelving game in with particular books. Maybe a student has to shelve Charlotte's Web and if they fail Charlotte can wrap them in a cocoon and put them in the rafters of the barn. McGonigal shows how failing spectacularly is one of the joys of video games. Whether you embrace it or ignore it, video gaming is a huge part of our culture. Game on!

5 Smileys