I and J: The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Junior High Years

I is for The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I just read this novel in a young adult literature class last semester. It was science fiction/fantasy week, and we were instructed to pick a book to read that we could discuss with the class. I had been wanting to read this for quite awhile, and my sister already owned it, so everything worked out perfectly.

I included this book in my literacy history because I was mesmerized by reading it. It was an intense experience to read a book that incorporated illustrations to move the story along, and the illustrations were some of the most beautiful pictures I had ever seen. It played with my mind a little bit that I had completed a 500+ page story in one night, but I believe the format of the book made all the difference.

It was different discussing this book in class because it was more a children's book compared to the others who had read young adult novels. I put up a great case for it though, and everyone else seemed to enjoy the pictures as well. I hope I have the chance to teach one of Selznick's books one day because I feel like I could do a lot with his novels; a picture is really worth a thousand words. He's a visionary who has changed the way I look at books and read stories.

J is for Junior High Years. Reading during my junior high years was made up of a lot of choice. We didn't really have strict schedules or books that we read as a class. I can remember reading October Sky and The Christmas Carol as a class, but other than that, we spent most of our reading time reading books of our choice in order to take, once again, Accelerated Reader tests.

I can remember a lot of the books I read in junior high dealing with teenage angst and relating themes. I really likedThe Pigman and Confessions of a Teenage Baboon by Paul Zindel. I connected with these novels because the characters were going through similar situations that I was going through. They encompassed puberty, puppy love, and everything else that makes up the life of a growing teenager. Looking back on my experiences in junior high, I can now see the importance of student choice in reading. I really liked these books because I could connect with them. They kept my interest and stimulated my thinking in order to develop connections between myself and the novels. This time period was very important in my literary history because it showed me that I could relate to characters in books.