parts

The Cartoon History of the Modern World, Part 2: From the Bastille to Baghdad
$18.99
Granted, this book is brilliant, just like the others. And granted, it is about 500 pages too short, but not even one little panel devoted to the Civil War? That was one of the most defining events of the modern world.

I'm sorry, Larry, but I have to take away a star for that oversight.

Even More Parts
$6.99
Very cute and funny book. The kids liked it too. Some of it was a little over their heads, but the illustrations are great and the kids enjoy seeing those too.

More Parts (Picture Puffins)
$6.99
This is a great book to follow up "Parts". Hysterically funny! These books make a great gift for a 5 year old boy!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
$8.99


Sherman Alexie's novel negotiates cultural,racial, sexual, and economic dynamics as its protagonist discovers himself and interacts with his environment. Two opposing worlds pull at Junior Spirit, a high school freshman born with "water on the brain," who wants nothing more than to grow up with a good education and physical security. His peers on the Wellpinit Reservation treat him as an outcast for transferring from their school, where he has become frustrated after years of mediocre education. The folks on the rez believe that Junior is trying to become white, while the all-white community in Reardan see him as :other" because he's an American Indian. Neither feeling Indian enough on the reservations nor white enough at Reardan speaks to Junior's identity crisis.

Junior's difficulty in defining himself without alienation is compounded by the relentless social trauma on the reservation, an unending onslaught of alcoholism and death. Junior must use the violence in his environment to fuel his motivation to succeed, and he turns to basketball to attempt to create a concrete victory that corresponds to his internal struggle.

Sherman Alexie's comical first-person narrative combines with Ellen Forney's amusing illustrations to make accessible the heavy themes of The Absolutely True Diary. Alexie has the keen insight to take on big discussions that the young adult craves, and his bold but unpretentious prose encourages the reader to emphatize with and experience the challenges and triumphs of Junior Spirit.