Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

LaVaughn dreams of going to college
to be the first one
from her family. She’ll get a degree.
She babysits Jolly’s babies, Jilly and Jeremy.
She teaches them to use the potty, and shows them love
like Jolly seems too busy to do right now.
Jolly is seventeen. LaVaughn is fourteen.
This book, in verse, made me laugh. Made me think.
Made my heart hurt a little.
Read it.

Bringing Down the House: How Six Students Took Vegas for Millions, by Ben Mezrich

MIT is a school filled with brilliant mathematicians. This is the story of six of those students who lead double lives and spend weekends betting the farm. Of course, they have a carefully crafted card counting strategy behind them, which means they always leave Vegas a winner. That is, until the casinos, the IRS, and their families start catching on.

I’m learning that I’m not such a fan of non-fiction books. The writing becomes too journalistic and choppy without the skills in language I find in fiction. So many non-fiction books seem too focused on the “story” and sacrifice the language which, to me, is an important aspect of the form.

Still, this story is interesting, and I learned a lot about the moves and machinations of those who try to cheat the gambling system with math and cunning. And as a cautionary tale, I was certainly convinced.

The Plain Janes, by Cecil Castelluci and Jim Rugg

(2007). New York: Minx- DC Comics. unpaged

Forced to move with her parents to the suburbs after a bomb explodes in front of her in Metro City, Jane’s life has changed. In this new town, she explores art and chooses to sit with the unhip girls at lunch. Strangely, humorously, all of them are named Jane. Together they form P.L.A.I.N.: People Loving Art in Neighborhoods, and plant art throughout the town guerrilla style. Apparently, I’m on a graphic novel kick as this is book number three in a row in this genre. And this one was by far my favorite of the three.