Going Ape for More than This

*As a disclaimer, Amanda was unable to post this from home. This post is from the folks at Vimy Ridge*

Andrew, Tracy, and I unanimously agree that More Than This will be advancing to the next round. While all of us do agree that both books were well done - Tracy going so far to say, "Ivan was alright. I mean, it's a book about an animal." And if you know Tracy and her 'love' of animal books, then this was as close as she gets to endorsing a book featuring a gorilla - the depth and complexity of More Than This makes it a more accessible book for the 7 - 12 demographic.

The One and Only Ivan is a great book. I will be buying it for my children when they get a little bit older. I know that one of the other posts mentioned that they didn't overly like the idea that it was written from Ivan's perspective, but this is one aspect about the book that I loved. I think that seeing the story and situation from Ivan's eyes made the story unique and more powerful than it would have been otherwise. Ivan is well written, is touching, is thought provoking (if you choose to teach it or read it that way), and is a great book. However, in my opinion, to beat Patrick Ness you have to "know yourself and go in swinging".

I don't even know where to begin for More Than This. I love it. And what's funny is, I can't even pin point what exactly I love so much about it. I guess, if I could try and put it into words, I love the fact that I felt uneasy reading it from start to finish. The quality of Patrick Ness' writing is (for me) next to none. I love how he has taken an earth-shattering event, captured it in a way that - against my will - places me right there along Seth and forces me to embark on his journey with him. It is an extremely ambitious novel and one that I will buy and read again. It is not for the student that is just looking for an easy read but it will appeal to those who enjoy looking deeper, using their brains, and being left with thoughts and ideas that will stay with them far longer than 472 pages.

*I read the first 2 1/2 pages to one of my grade 8 classes the other day, and since then, 4 kids have showed up in class with copies that they asked their parents to buy for them.