Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

The voting this month was 28% in favour of I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World, with The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind second with 19%. We were well down on our voting numbers this month, whether it was because it was non-fiction, January, or other things, I don't know.

I saw a teen edition in my bookshop, so if you have a choice, maybe it would be a good idea to opt for that one, but any one will do (there are a huge number of editions including key facts and summaries!!). I shall see if I can get the ebook from my library with my new library card!

I'm looking forward to joining in some interesting discussion on this one.

The young reader edition is calledI Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World. I've opted for this rather than the full version as I'm interested in how such a complex political situation is portrayed to the younger reader.

I've been looking at this for quite a while now. Glad to have an excuse to buy it

This is perfect for my daughter. Very important journey to understand and appreciate.

S.K.Fischer wrote: "The young reader edition is calledI Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World. I've opted for this rather than the full version as I'm interested in how s..."
Thanks, SK - I've changed the link on my post, too. I managed to put the right cover up the first time!

Sorry I didn't vote but this sounds like a great selection!

I didn't vote because I couldn't decide but thank you for choosing this since it's already in my to read pile. :)

Dixie wrote: "I've been looking at this for quite a while now. Glad to have an excuse to buy it"

I agree!!!!

I'll be hitting the library.

Rebecca wrote: "I'll be hitting the library."

I collect mine from the mobile library on the 16th :)

I've ordered mine. I could have gotten the adult version right away, but will have to wait my turn for the Young Readers' edition.

I was curious what people are thinking, because I haven't actually started reading it yet, and now I see no one has commented about reading it either. Hmm?

Well, I got it from the library today, and started it this evening, and I've read about 30%. I like the way it's written, with a simplicity that contradicts the terrible complexity of the situation. It was hard to put down, but I had to do something else!

Funny, I started it a few days ago and that simplicity felt wrong. I was thinking about going and getting the adult version, just to see what's missing.

I really want to read this, but simply haven't had time yet. It's sitting uncatalogued on my desk in the school library....

Nearly finished. Will let you know my overall impression soon. So far, I'm guessing that most MG books we read are written by adults imitating a young person's voice and therefore actually use adult logic and concepts in the telling process. This book is different as it's truly the young person's voice we are reading with all the jumps and jumbles of a youngster's expression. I find this style refreshing and authentic without the heavy handed adult edit. Also I'm aware of the cultural differences of written expression and thought. As westerners we tell a story in our 'logical' steps but here we read story telling in a different way. I can see the editor has 'interfered' in places e.g the prologue chapter.
Just some thoughts.

I've finished too. As I said earlier I like the simplicity, and to me it reads like a girl who speaks English as her second language (and not in an English speaking country) would speak. It is really International English with a junior slant. For me, that adds veracity. The descriptions of her village, the school and the effect of the Taliban, don't have their full impact until I get to the photographs; somehow I had a disconnect between what the buildings looked like at their reality. Maybe I was thinking of schools I've seen in India and Nepal; their village was more like an off-the-beaten track place I've passed when hiking.

I hope this book can help people understand that Muslims are not all terrorists, any more than Christians are all Klu Klux Klan members. Unfortunately I suspect that the people who read it are not those that think that way in the first place.

As I read Malala's story I wondered about the strength of mind to stand up and speak out at that age. It is truly strange how cultures and events shape us. Is she a modern day Joan of Arc?

That's an interesting question, Jemima. Malala is certainly an unusual girl, though there are lots who do amazing stuff. Seems like someone who has a vision and will just keep moving toward it.

Your comments about her language are why I want to look at the adult version. She's not that young anymore, and in any case though obviously either book has been edited, I assume she wrote the "regular" book first and without a co-author? so I wondered if that would get me closer to her voice.

I'm about halfway through it. Like Jemima, I found a disconnect with the story until I saw the pictures. To me, the voice sounds too old, almost too self-assured for a 12-year-old. I know she is unique, not your everyday 12-year-old, but then it would be interjected with unconvincing younger moments like petty arguments with her best friend. It makes the reading strange. I would have liked to read about what she wrote in her blog, or the speeches she made, as I found it quite hard to appreciate the impact she made, which then resulted in being nominated by Desmond Tutu and others for various awards. There wasn't enough evidence to show and convince me why she would be winning all these prizes.

In an interesting twist, at my (adult) book club today I recommended we read the other version of the book, and they seemed interested. So we'll see. It may take a while as we get a dozen copies from the library, so have to take our turn.

One thing is, the events took place when she was 12, but the writing of the book is much later. So to me, the juvenile voice feels a little unreal. But I admit I haven't gotten back to reading it (nor have I yet remembered to pick up the "adult" version at the library).

Finished! My reading has been squashed into the few moments before I fall into a deep sleep at night, sometimes with kindle or book still in my hand. Reading rate has slowed but having wonderful sleeps.

Mmmm, reading this book has really got my mind thinking mainly because, as we have all noticed, the style and flow is patchy and odd and distracts from the story. The final section became more coherent.

At the time I had heard about a Pakistani school girl being shot but was embroiled in my own problems in another 'stan' country.I wonder if I had followed her blog/ diary under her assumed name then perhaps this book would have meant more, although while reading I was intrigued enough to do further research on Malala. And it is a book I will remember.

Thanks for all the wonderful insights and discussion. Please, please Jemima, let us know how the other version goes.

I have this one ready to read but I just haven't had the time this month. Hope to get onto it soon.

I've finished it too. Like S.K., I too thought the latter part of the book was much better. Glad I read it, and Jemima, I too would love to know your thoughts on the other version. Please keep us updated. I have one question for everyone. How much did you hear about her when it was actually happening, eg about her blog, her attack or her recovery? Do you remember hearing about it in your local news?

I heard about the attack and a bit about her off and on as she recovered. I think I focused on the news about her because I had been reading books about the taliban at the time, maybe three cups of tea. I usually don't listen to the news unless something about it catches my attention in connection to something else.

I found the story very interesting. I only heard a little about what happened at the time because I haven't paid as much as attention to news as I'd like since I've had children. I agree with everyone that it doesn't feel like it flows as well as it could. I wonder how the adult version compares. I do think it works well for the target audience. I think my daughter would be interested to see how different life is for girls in other parts of the world and I know she would be rooting for Malala.

I was pretty aware about it when it happened, and though I never read her blog or anything, I kind of followed the story, mostly because I listen to NPR every morning.

I got the adult version yesterday, and made a little start. I think it reads much better, and will probably drop the Junior version.

This is such a phenomenal book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and for three amazing reasons. The first reason is that I love that Malala is fighting for something I am also passionate about: Education for all! As an elementary social studies teacher, I am passionate about everyone receiving a great education without the fear of being killed, hurt, or afraid of what other people think. The second reason I loved it is because I love history. There are amazing stories that describe the difficult relations between Pakistan and other countries and politicians. Another thing that Malala does very well is incorporate Islam very well into the book. She explains how religion is a part of her and her families life. She explains how different groups and different people interpret the Quran and how she and her family interpret the Quran. The final reason that I really enjoyed this book was because I love culture. I love learning about the cultural stories that shape a persons morals, that shape a person, and are a rich part of their history! I would totally recommend this book so people can become more CULTURALLY ACCEPTING, to understand the issues that are occurring within the world, and to just snuggle up with a good book. I loved how it was fast paced, easy to read, easy to understand, and a book that makes you want to again stand up for education.

I listened to this on audio a while back and have to say I was really disappointed. I had heard of Malala and her amazing story and was eager to read the book. I too felt like the story wasn't cohesive. It kind of felt like the co-author just typed up her notes from conversations with Malala and instead of creating a cohesive story from the interviews. I am curious if the adult version is any better or more cohesive. I listen to audiobooks a lot and often find that I notice deficiencies in text much more readily in audio than I do in print. I guess in print you can just skim over the poorly written parts, but audio brings them front and center.

Angie, I can't comment (yet) on Malala's book, but I agree with what you are saying about audio books. Sometimes, of course, it just sort of flows over me and I don't catch the issues because I'm not really catching anything. But if I'm trying to follow something and it's jumpy, I usually find it much more obvious--and harder to "read" on audio than in print. I think one aspect of this is losing the visual cues--paragraphs, double spaces, etc.--that help us sort out the visual text.

Ooh, I think that is true for me on books sometimes, because the line spacing and font size varies device to device and reader preference settings impact it, I sometimes miss things I think would be obvious in a paper book where the author controlled the page more, page breaks especially can show changes in time or place or mood

I felt this book was written on the perfect level for middle-grade readers. The storyline sucked me in and I was anxious to read the ending we already knew. I appreciate seeing a different picture of life in Pakistan. We hear so much about terrorists, it’s easy to picture the violence and miss the reality of everyday life for the civilians in the Middle East. I love her family! How her father encourages her and treats her with respect while still living their religion. How her mother values their religious beliefs and supports her husband and daughter in taking risks to try to improve their country. And how her brothers are just annoying little brothers who don't understand why their sister is so famous.

Malala’s wisdom beyond her years amazed me. Even before her horrific experience, she noticed things around her that are subliminal to many, such as how quickly she picked up on American society’s use of women as showpieces to sell things. Her willingness to speak up for women’s education despite the threats and murders happening in her town and country astounded me. I don’t know if I would’ve been that brave when I was eleven.

I remember hearing about this when she was shot but hadn't heard much about her before that. I smiled at her assessment that the Taliban shot her in an effort to silence her. Instead, it took her story to the entire world. I believe there are people placed in situations to make a huge impact on the world and I believe Malala was born to be a messenger to the world. I like the comparison of Malala to Joan of Arc.

I'm also curious about the differences between this book and the adult version.

I read the adult version, but can't make the comparison because I didn't read the kids version!

I suspect that the junior version didn't spend as much time on the politics and religion of the takeover of Swat by the Taliban. I learned a lot from reading this, including a reminder that a lot of grief can come of building a religious State. She gives a good summary of the history of Pakistan.

The book at times feels a bit all over the place; I struggled a bit with chronology in some chapters, but she never lost my interest. It's interesting to see her move from a little girl who loves school and is determined to get an education, to a girl who wants to be sure ALL kids can get an education.

My (live) bookclub got the adult version this month, but it was the abridged 'quick read' version, which was pretty much useless as a comparison. Good enough for someone who wanted an overview of Malala's book, but skimming the richness of life in Pakistan. For those that criticised the 'jumpiness' in the narrative, well, those are gone, but it's pretty much bare bones anyway - and abridged by a third person.
Don't read this version, even with school groups!

Jemima wrote: "My (live) bookclub got the adult version this month, but it was the abridged 'quick read' version, which was pretty much useless as a comparison. Good enough for someone who wanted an overview of M..."

Thanks for the heads up Jemima!