Terry Trueman Week - Day 3

Hi Readers,

Sarah is back again guest blogging today! On Wednesday, we heard her thoughts on “Stuck in Neutral.” Today, she’s hear to share her thoughts on “Cruise Control.” (Teachers and teachers-to-be, take note of Sarah’s final thoughts!) 

So without further ado …

“Cruise Control” by Terry Trueman is a very touching story about a character that appears to have it all. Paul McDaniel is blessed with brains, popularity, and athletic skill, but in reality, he is suffering tremendously on the inside and tries to conceal his hurt from everyone. Paul is a star athlete on his school’s basketball team with big dreams of leaving home to attend college by earning an athletic scholarship. However, his brother, Shawn, is severely disabled and cannot communicate or control his body. When their dad abandoned the family, Paul felt obligated as “the man of the house” to care for not only his brother, but his mother and sister as well. Paul resents his father for putting him in this situation and feels trapped. Paul must control his anger and break free of his own feelings of guilt in order to control his own life. Trueman does an excellent job of creating a believable character that readers can relate to.

Having read “Cruise Control” prior to reading “Stuck in Neutral” my perspective of this story is somewhat different than most. If I had read “Stuck in Neutral” beforehand, I think my opinions about the characters and the overall story would be somewhat different. I believe Paul embodies many of the characteristics that many teens demonstrate. As a reader, I was able to get into his head and identify with him. In many ways he is the average teenager who feels as though no one understands him and believes that the world is against him. This story took me back to my own teenage years. It is easy to relate to the feelings and emotions that Paul demonstrates as he completes high school.

I believe this story will appeal to teens. I think Trueman has created a character that embodies many of the problems and situations that teens deal with daily. The character is very relatable. The book also contains quite a bit of humor which, makes it appealing.

In the classroom, this book can be used to discuss a multitude of sensitive topics that correspond to issues people deal with on a daily basis and that teens need to be aware of. Disability is a huge theme in this story. Teachers can discuss the stereotypes associated with disability, or raise awareness about the treatment of these people. It is also necessary to challenge the perceptions we all have about people with disabilities. Another topic to be discussed is separation and divorce. Many families are broken in today’s society and many children have difficulty dealing with the separation of their parents. Thirdly, bullying is addressed in this novel. It is critical that teachers discuss this in their classrooms, because it has become a major issue in schools today. I would absolutely use this book in my classroom.

Sarah, thanks so much for guest blogging not just once, but twice!

Terry Trueman Week - Day 2

Hi Readers!

Terry Trueman Week continues with another guest post … Sarah is a graduate student at St. John Fisher college and she is graduating this spring with a Master’s degree in Literacy Education. She hopes to teacher 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade. Her favorite YA books are the books in “The Hunger Games” series – a friend recommended them to her last summer and she loved them. (And is anxiously anticipating the release of the movie!) Sarah is most looking forward to meeting Terry Trueman at TBF.

Today, Sarah shares her thoughts on Terry’s first novel, “Stuck in Neutral.” (And to any of my readers who are teachers, or any of my teen readers who would like to become teachers, check out the last paragraph of Sarah’s review.)

“Stuck in Neutral” is a compelling story. The main character, Shawn McDaniel, is misunderstood by everyone. To the world, Shawn is physically disabled, unable to control his physical movements and unable to communicate. He also suffers from mass seizures several times a day. However, unbeknownst to world, Shawn is a genius. He has an incredible memory in which he can recall every word from conversations around him. He even remembers experiences as far back as his childhood. He is able to read and understand what people say about him. He is just like every other teenage boy in that he has favorite foods and music and even likes girls. As the story develops, readers begin to notice the relationship between Shawn and his father is very complex. Shawn’s father loves Shawn so much that he even considers putting Shawn out of his “misery.”

Reading this text challenged my own bias and assumptions. Just because an individual is unable to communicate or control his or her body, does not mean they are incapable of thoughts and ideas. I think this is an assumption that many members of society make. As a teacher, it is important to discourage these assumptions and biases. One day we may have a student like Shawn in our classroom.

I believe this book would appeal to teens. Shawn’s thoughts demonstrate that he is just a normal teenager on the inside. He is relatable to most teens. Trueman also uses humor in his writing, which adds another component to the story. Additionally, the author uses suspense, which keeps the reader engaged, and coming back for more.

This text could be incorporated into the classroom curriculum. It touches on many controversial issues. It promotes critical thinking. What would individual students do if they found themselves in Shawn situation? Students also have to challenge some of the assumptions and biases they may hold against disabled individuals. This book also connects text to real world issues that they may encounter. Euthanasia is another example of a controversial issue that could be debated in the classroom after reading this book. This novel promotes higher levels of thinking and encourages discussion.

Sarah, thanks for sharing your thoughts on “Stuck in Neutral” with us!

Readers, Friday will be the final week of Terry Week – don’t miss it!

Terry Trueman Week - Day 1

Hi Readers!

Welcome to Terry Trueman Week! This week on Carly Reads, I will be featuring posts about our TBF mascot. Our first post is from guest blogger Jessica. Jessica is a graduate student at St. John Fisher College. She is a certified teacher and is currently finishing her Master’s degree in Literacy Education. When she’s not in school herself, she’s a substitute teacher in Webster. Her favorite YA book is “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold (a cross-over book!). When she read it in high school, it helped her realize who much she loved reading. Jessica is most looking forward to meeting Laurie Halse Anderson at TBF 2012, as she really enjoyed “Speak” and “Wintergirls.”

Here are Jessica’s thoughts on Terry’s novels “Stuck in Neutral” and “Cruise Control”:

Though everyone has family tribulations, many families that have a lot more issues than what people see on the exterior. Terry Truman illustrates this in the two young adult books, “Stuck in Neutral” and “Cruise Control.” The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Honor book, “Stuck in Neutral,” was told from the point of view of a 14-year-old boy who suffers from cerebral palsy. The young boy, Shawn McDainel, is non-verbal and paraplegic, but the author illustrates Shawn to understand the world around him though he has never been able to communicate. Shawn’s family has been affected by his condition in different ways. His father left his wife and three kids because he never was able to handle the situation. His father, Sydney McDaniel, is a writer who has won a Pulitzer Prize for a poem about Shawn, seems to believe that Shawn is in pain and he is fixated on the idea of euthanasia. This disturbs the whole family and the father’s controversial thoughts leave him on the verge of killing Shawn, or not, and so transmits his inner debate to readers.

Though his father believes in “ending Shawn’s pain,” his brother tries to protect Shawn in any way he can. In the book “Cruise Control,” Paul, a high school senior who seems to live a complete opposite life of Shawn, is the narrator. Paul is a basketball star and seems to do well in high school; the problem he faces is the embarrassment of having a brother that he refers as a “Veg.” The thought of himself embarrassed by having a brother with this condition frustrates Paul because he feels ambivalence towards him. His father, Sydney, seems to bring out the worst in Paul, which creates a lot of hateful anger. The book shows Paul go through many different feelings and the hardship of having a family member who requirement so much attention, Paul seems to come in terms with what he really feels by the end of the book.

The Terry Truman books “Stuck in Neutral” and “Cruise Control” are great young adult books, particularly for students who have a difficult time expressing their feeling toward family members that have complex circumstances. The books are well-written and easy reads for middle and high school students. I took pleasure in reading both the books.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jessica!

Readers, come back on Wednesday for another guest blogger’s perspective on Terry’s novels.

 

Interview with the Mascot

Hello Readers,

It’s a double dose of Terry Trueman on the blog!  Today … my interview with Terry.

Carly Reads: You keep coming back year after year, what is it that you love so much about the Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival?
Terry Trueman: TBF is a special gig. I know a lot of authors who have particular places where they are always welcome and treated great, even singled out a bit, which I always feel at TBF, plus Stephanie stalks me, what am I gonna do? Would you want someone with a last name like her pissed at you? :)

CR: Do you play the Whack-an-Author game on the TBF website?  If so, what’s your high score?
TT: I don't play Whack-an-Author, in fact, I don't play any games on video or etc. I hate to lose so much it's sickening – to kill myself over not being able to whack myself on the head better than anyone else, would seem … I dunno, kind of pathetic I think.

CR: Do you have a favorite among the books you’ve written?
TT: I love all my children, but my new one a sequel to “Stuck in Neutral” and its companion “Cruise Control,” working title “Jump Start” hopefully coming out in 2012, is pretty special and I LOVE it. You'll hear a bit of it at this year’s TBF if you come to one of my sessions.

CR: What are your five favorite books?
TT: R U kidding? If I name my own, which obviously are my five faves, I'll have to leave one out and that book will be heartbroken. If I list books by other authors, I can only make five friends happy and thus have a few hundred others po'd at me. It's a NO WIN. I will admit that “The Art of Racing in the Rain” and “Love That Dog” are books I admire written by authors I loathe for writing so beautifully.

CR: What author are you most looking forward to meeting and/or seeing at the Sixth Annual TBF?
TT: To be honest I haven't seen who's coming this year. I always enjoy meeting authors for the first time and seeing old pals, so picking any one would be impossible. I know I always get a huge kick out of hanging around with . . . myself . . . So there is that!! :)

Thanks, Terry! As always, we can’t wait to see at TBF come May.

Cruising with Terry

Hey Readers!

Those of you who have been to TBF in previous years know that Terry Trueman is a TBF favorite.  Before we had an opening panel, there was a keynote address to kick off the festival, and Terry gave the keynote address at the 1^st and 2^nd TBF.  He’s attended every festival thus far, is the face of “Whack and Author” on the TBF website, and at TBF 2009 he was named “TBF Mascot.”

Therefore, I thought it was only appropriate that I dedicate a post to Terry and my favorite of his books.  I’ve already reviewed “Stuck in Neutral.” (In fact, it was my first review on Carly Reads!)  As a quick recap, “Stuck in Neutral” tells the story of Shawn, a bright teenage boy trapped in his body by severe cerebral palsy and convinced that his father is trying to kill him.  “Stuck in Neutral” has a companion novel, “Cruise Control.”  “Cruise Control” is told from the point of view of Paul, Shawn’s brother.  “Cruise Control,” like “Stuck in Neutral” is a short but emotionally loaded read.  While it is, like I said, a companion to “Stuck in Neutral,” it can easily be read on its own.

And in exciting preview news, when Terry visited Nazareth as part of Teen Reads Week in the fall, he read an excerpt from his newest book, which is a sequel to “Stuck in Neutral.”  I’m hoping there will be another preview at TBF 2011 …

Our last This or That! With Terry Trueman!

Hey Readers!

This is our last “This or That” survey! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about what our awesome TBF authors like! I present to you … Terry Trueman!

1. Chocolate or vanilla? Both

2. Realistic fiction or fantasy? Realistic

3. City mouse or country mouse? Dog

4. Pop music or classical? Both

5. Dogs or cats? See #3, but def dogs

6. Pen or pencil? Computer

7. Cursive or printing? See #6

8. Summer Olympics or winter Olympics? I prefer live dog or car ads, anything but smiling chicklet toothed young jocks squeezing out a tear for future $

9. DVDs at home or movies in the theater? Def DVDs at home

10. Hardcover or paperback? Paperback 'cause more people can afford them

The “This or That” surveys are all done, but I have some other fun things up my sleeves. Keep checking back, you won’t regret it!

Terry Trueman

Greetings booklovers! 

As readers, I’m sure we’ve all read at least one or two stories about characters on a journey. A journey to save someone they love ("The Giver," anyone?), a journey to stop a giant from destroying their hometown ("The Sisters Grimm" by Michael Buckley, TBF 2009!), or a journey to find themselves on a cross-country road trip ("Zigzag" by Ellen Wittlinger, TBF 2006!). Well booklovers, I myself am on a journey, a quest, of sorts. I am on a quest to find a salutation. The PERFECT salutation. The salutation that says, “Yes, I am a nerd, but I’m endearing, aren’t I?” So far, success has eluded me. You would be amazed at how many results can be found when googleing “fun salutations.” Yet, alas, the best I could come up with for today was “Greetings booklovers!” But have no fear, because by the time TBF arrives, I will have found it – the perfect salutation. And in the meantime, I welcome suggestions!

So, to get on with the REALLY fun stuff … 

I am going to begin my very first OFFICIAL blog (that first posting doesn’t count – it’s like the first day of class when all you do is fill out those “get-to-know-you” index cards, purely business and no fun) with Terry Trueman because I don’t think I could begin it any other way. For those of you who are new to TBF, you should know that Terry Trueman has been a part of TBF for as long as I have, since the beginning. Nicknamed the TBF “mascot,” Terry has attended all four previous festivals and will be there again this year. In fact, you can try your hand at the Whack-an-Author game on the TBF website to keep Terry from taking over the festival! (My high score: 29! Can you beat it?)

I read my first Terry novel, "Stuck in Neutral," almost 5 years ago, although it hardly seems like it’s been that long. Though I’ve read several more since then, "Stuck in Neutral" remains my favorite. In "Stuck in Neutral," Shawn McDaniel is a fourteen-year-old genius, but no one knows it because Shawn suffers from severe cerebral palsy which has left him unable to move or speak. Shawn’s father is a prize-winning poet most recognizable for a poem written about Shawn. However, Shawn is worried that his own father is trying to kill him. I won’t say more, but I’m pretty sure that that alone is enough to get even a reluctant reader hooked. If you haven’t read it yet, pick up a copy of "Stuck in Neutral." It’s just over 100 pages and you’ll fly through it in no time. If you’ve read it, leave me your comments! I love a good book discussion …