Welcome to episode three of Chat From the Stacks! Have you ever noticed that in a series whether it's a television show, movie, or book series, the middle episodes sometimes struggle to sustain the energy and level of engagement as those of the first one or two? I felt that way about book series that I have loved when the bridge between the fast-paced beginning novel and the dramatic conclusion to the series did not somehow measure up. They are always important because they pave the way to a dramatic, sometimes controversial, and heart-pounding finish by keeping us connected to the characters and the story moving forward, even if the plot of the second or third novel sometimes falters.
I know there are fans who love Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it is, in fact, their favorite and yet I felt that it was a bit rushed, not nearly as exciting as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and "copied" the elements of the first novel rather than giving us something new to hold on to. Little did I know though that the whole idea of the Horcruxes was being introduced in Book Two, such a crucial part of the finale of the whole series. I could also say the same for Catching Fire, Book Two of the Hunger Games. By repeating so much of the first novel's action, it was a bit disappointing but without it, there would not have been a heartbreaking and costly battle for freedom and revenge in Mockingjay.
I guess this is my rather long-winded way of saying that episode three of Chat From the Stacks was a bit harder to compose. I was excited for the first episode, trying my hand at podcasting. I loved the first lines challenge of the second episode, receiving a couple of entries including the first line to Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs" from an Upper School student. This week I found myself caught in that inertia of what to read next and how to include this in a Chat from the Stacks challenge. Or do I need to challenge you each week? Was episode three going to be my Catching Fire?
In taking my own advice from Chat #1, finally, I chose a book that had been languishing on the Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Nominees for 2020. I enjoy sports but do not typically read "sports" books. The cover art with the football helmet was intriguing but not enough to make me pick it up and give it a serious look. I was stuck at the beginning of a book that I had wanted to read but it just wasn't passing the "firsts" test so I clicked over to my Sora app for our Overdrive Collection and selected Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald. Now here is a disclaimer, I do like to watch football. I'm not certain as to the reasons anymore with all of the controversies of late, I think it has to do with Sunday afternoons with my father. Still, I was hooked by the first page, an article from a small town news website pulsing with the excitement of a town devoted to high school football and the upcoming season. This introduction was immediately followed by the medical update for a thirteen-year-old boy injured during summer practice. This boy was in the hospital, in a coma and the town was rallying around him with thoughts, prayers, and a suspenseful story of what truly happened that day on the football field.
Through a series of text messages, social media posts, and Teddy's unconscious mind recalling the events of that day, a sports and football culture that always produced winners was revealed including coaches turning a blind eye to some of the team-building rituals that were questionable and dangerous. Along with the story of that day, the conflicts in Teddy's life are revealed through conversations his parents have with him to try and bring him back. The obsession with a sports culture broke his family apart. Will they heal if Teddy doesn't regain consciousness? Well, I read that book in a few hours one night. The format, suspense, and timeliness of the story as it relates to sports kept me turning virtual pages and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a game-changer with their reading.
I hope this Chat From the Stacks did not turn into my bridge episode. I have a renewed respect for bloggers and podcasters who write and record consistently and weekly and I will continue to share my musings about reading, books, and more as the weeks of our game-changing e-learning experience continue. Have a great week.
I hope this Chat From the Stacks did not turn into my bridge episode. I have a renewed respect for bloggers and podcasters who write and record consistently and weekly and I will continue to share my musings about reading, books, and more as the weeks of our game-changing e-learning experience continue. Have a great week.