Herman Melville is most famous for the authorship of the absolute classic Moby-Dick. While I may review that later on this blog, today I am reviewing one of his short stories. Bartleby, the Scrivener, that I recently had the pleasure of reading.

The novella is about an office worker named Bartleby, who works as a copyist for a lawyer on Wall Street. Copyists work long hours and do gruesome work, but Bartleby does even more than is expected, the narrator never even seeing him leave the building. Bartleby was hired for his cool-headedness, a characteristic that, despite the happening events, remains with him for the duration of the story.

Bartleby continually gets more and more disobedient of his employer as time goes on. As a copyist, the work must be examined so they can verify the accuracy of it. But Bartleby refuses, in a calm, tranquil way that makes it hard for his employer to stand up for him. “I would prefer not to,” becomes the catchphrase of the story, and well could have been its title.

At first, Bartleby’s boss tries to reason with him, using his other co-workers (who are very angry at him for acting so ridiculously and for making them do some of his work) to try to get him to budge. However, Bartleby will not budge. Even when asked to do simple tasks (like go fetch something), his response is characteristic, “I would prefer not to.”

At many places of employment, Bartleby would’ve been fired, but his employer is especially generous (particularly because he is such a good copyist), and finds it impossible to react angrily to the calm refusals. Progressively, more about Bartleby is discovered (such as that he only eats nuts), and on one Sunday when the source of Bartleby’s money decides to go to his office, he finds Bartleby still there, in a state of undress! Bartleby tells him to come back in a few minutes.

Of course, when he does, the scrivener is gone. Bartleby’s desk is examined, and it is discovered that he keeps all his money there. Bartleby obviously lives there, and has no family. The head of Bartleby’s office cannot believe how lonely Bartleby must be. He resolves to settle it at once and force Bartleby to tell him about his past. Even under dire threats, Bartleby still says his catchphrase.

Bartleby proceeds to stop doing any copying. His boss is at first accepting (thinking it is due to eye trouble), but even after his eyes seem to have healed, Bartleby still does not resume copying.

Bartleby’s master has no choice but to fire him, but Bartleby simply refuses to leave. It is a very difficult situation, indeed, what to do with Bartleby, and the story ends sadly, with Bartleby continuing his resistance even in the face of severe trouble.

The story spends much time detailing things that have nothing to do with the actual storyline, and which are not taken further (Bartleby is not really even introduced until the 5th page out of 27), and it is somewhat wordy, but goes very in depth, at the same time. While some have reported difficulty reading it, on the contrary I thought it was quite a quick and easy story to polish off. Some difficult terms are used, but a glance at the dictionary obviously renders that problem void. As already alluded to, not much actually happens in the story, which adds to ease of read. It is also easy to get it online for free just by searching for the title.

However, it is very difficult to tell what the point of the story is. Numerous people have advanced different interpretations. Some say that Bartleby is an allegory for the socialist revolution, although I believe that is a stretch. If you just search terms such as  “Bartleby the Scrivener Summary”  or “Bartleby the Scrivener Meaning,” you can find many different interpretations. There is no clear interpretation, and I will not offer any attempts here. Perhaps Melville himself did not know what the story was meant to communicate.

Overall, I give it a 2.0/5.0. I would give it a 3.5/5.0 because of the interesting story, abundance of details, and intriguing characters, but I take a point away for the writing style and unclear purpose, and a half a point for the lack of action.  However, it may be interesting to read and see for yourself what the famous Herman Melville meant in this ambiguous story, especially for fans of his other works.

Series Background

Regular readers of this blog will know that Gordon Korman is one of my absolute favorite kids authors. The first book I read by him was Swindle, a book about Griffin Bing and his gang of friends to steal back a valuable 1920 Babe Ruth baseball card that is rightfully theirs; the owner of a local baseball shop, S. Wendell Palomino (otherwise known as Swindle) buys the card from Griffin after he finds it in an old abandoned house for only $120. I highly recommend this book and it was recently featured in my Six Books for Tweens that are Breathtakingly Awesome list. Other people massively enjoy it, too, selling literally millions of copies.

I also mentioned in that list that there were three sequels, although I didn’t mention anything about them. Well, Showoff by Gordon Korman is the latest book in the Swindle Series. Griffin and his friends are back in a caper that will take Savannah Drysdale’s (animal expert) dog Luthor from the pound to the Global Kennel Society Dog Competition.

Note: Scholastic made the above video briefly detailing the story.

Lest you worry you need to read them in order – while I’d recommend it, these books can stand well by themselves, without needing to have read the proceeding events in the series (i.e. the plots aren’t tied together).

Plot

Okay, now to the actual plot and book. Griffin and his friend Ben Slovak are on a six-week sleepover during the summer while Griffin’s dad, an inventor, tours Europe in order to try to sell his stock. Griffin and Ben are best friends, with Griffin being the “Man with the Plan” and Ben being his sidekick.

As school lets out, they meet up with Savannah to attend a dog show which showcases the number one dog in the world at the time, Electra. Savannah brought her dog Luthor along with her to see the show. However, it comes to pass that a tragedy happens. For some reason, Luthor goes and attacks Electra. Luthor is a big doberman who used to be a guard dog, but Electra is just a tiny dog, and is injured badly. Electra was going for an unprecedented third straight victory at the Global Kennel Society Dog Competition, a victory that would’ve netted her owners millions and millions of dollars. Now, they will be collecting their money the legal way: In a suit against Savannah and her family.

The lawsuit is over $7,000,000, and even though Luthor has never done anything like this before (as aforementioned, he used to be a guard dog, but with Savannah he’s fun-loving and absolutely fine), the Drysdale’s deduce that they have to take Luthor to the pound, as if they don’t, it might look like they aren’t doing as much as possible to stop it from occurring again in the future.

Luthor was Savannah’s most beloved pet, and it throws the entire household into a frenzy. Another of Savannah’s pets, Cleopatra (a monkey), was best friends with Luthor, and even tries to break into Griffin’s house in the hope that Luthor might be there. But Savannah is even more distraught. She is so upset that her parents take her on a vacation for the summer to get her mind off her beloved (and likely to be soon dead) dog.

Griffin and Ben are at first not too upset about it. They didn’t like Luthor anyways. But when Griffin hears Luthor’s mournful wails, he knows they have to do something. And they can’t let Savannah’s family go bankrupt! But what can they do? It’s no problem for the Man with the Plan.

There’s no way Griffin’s dad will let them adopt the huge (and menacing canine), but maybe they can somehow get Luthor to win the Global Kennel Club. If they can, then not only can Luthor get back to Savannah, but the money from that can pay off the lawsuit. But can Griffin and Ben train a dog that wrecks an entire garage in less than a day? And without Savannah, Luthor is in an especially bad mood. Will the truth about why Luthor attacked Savannah coax an old dog-lover back into the show to save the day?

Review

The book is a pretty easy read at around 240 pages with large font. It’s meant for kids around 9-14, and still manages to have great writing and using good terms while also making it very comprehensible. While an action/adventure book, the danger contained is not quite as much as the other books in the series, with the danger the death of a dog and financial ruin. Although someone is trying to harm them in order to prevent Luthor from winning, it is underplayed, and is never too serious a problem. The dangers contained are more realistic (in the other books Griffin and his friends are constantly threatened with jail, etc.), while still being fast-paced and exciting (although somewhat more relaxed than in previous books in the series).

Overall, I give it a 3/5 stars. I would give it four stars because of the good writing style, interesting story, good storyline/premise, but I take off a point for the somewhat less suspense and the somewhat predictability of the book (there were some unexpected things that happened, but nothing too earth-shattering as in the original book Swindle).

Nothing can really compare to the original Swindle, of course, which was perhaps the best action/adventure book the author has ever written. But this is a good addition to the series and will still be well-received among kid readers of the genre. Click here to buy the book, Showoff by Gordon Korman!

You want your tween to read, but you don’t want to give them a clunker? Here are some awesome books that both you and your kids can enjoy.

1. The 39 Clues

This is still my favorite fiction book! None of these are actually just one book, but instead a series. This is still ongoing, and they’re currently on the second series of it, called Cahills vs. Vespers.

This is a series about two kids, Dan and Amy Cahill (11 and 14 respectively; although their age changes throughout the series), who find out when their grandmother Grace dies that they’re part of the greatest family the world has ever known. Politicians, businessmen, inventors, scientists, mathematicians, spies; you name it. The source of their power is thirty-nine clues, which over the years have been scattered all over the globe. Whoever finds all 39 clues will be the most powerful person in human history.

So they get a choice at the funeral, two million dollars or a hint to the first clue. For two penniless orphans, two million dollars is a fortune, but, of course, they take the clue.

It turns out there are four branches to the family, and thousands of Cahill’s, each willing to do anything possible to get the clues first; even kill. They travel all over the world in a search for the clues. Shocking secrets, amazing escapes, and even deaths accompany the hunt. There is also a ton of historical information, so you can learn a lot, too.

Another cool thing about it is that it’s a multi-author series, featuring famous authors such as Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Patrick Carman, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and more.

What really sets it apart is that it’s not just the books, but there are also cards included that you can enter into their website, and also plenty of games in your own search for the clues.

Although you can start anywhere, I’d advise starting at the beginning of the series. Highly recommended.

Buy the first book in The 39 Clues series, The Maze of Bones, by Rick Riordan.

2. Swindle

This is also an on-going series, written by the author of three of the books in the above series, Gordon Korman. There are currently four books out. They are all action-packed adventures about a kid named Griffin Bing (The Man with the Plan) and his friends. Griffin is always trying to get into things and right wrongs. In Swindle, Griffin and his best friend Ben Slovak found a 1920 Babe Ruth baseball card. They take it to a collector to see if it’s worth anything and the swindles him. He gives him a hundred dollars, but, really, it’s worth more than a million dollars.

So they try to right this wrong and steal the card back. The heist involves several other kids, and even the police get involved eventually. Very, very, exciting fast paced and exciting books. Kids just love this series!

Buy Swindle by Gordon Korman.

3. On the Run

This is another series (one six-book series and a follow-up trilogy) about two kids named Aiden and Meg Falconer whose parents get convicted as terrorists for life in “the trial of the century.” Everyone knows about this trial; and everyone hates the Falconers.

This is very bad for Aiden and Meg, obviously. They try foster care, but everyone hates their parents so much that there is constant tension. So eventually they get sent to a low-security prison in order to take them out of the spotlight for a few years.

But it’s horrible. They have to work on a farm and do school most of the day, living among thieves and murderers. Meg wants to get out of there to prove their parents innocent, but Aiden realizes there’s no way to do it. Except for one day, a fire breaks out. Aiden decides to let it go and burn the place down, so they can escape. Others jump, too, but one by one, the others get caught.

Aiden and Meg need to track down an FBI agent who worked with their parents for the government. One problem: He’s no where to be found. Not only is the government after them, but also a cold-blooded killer named Hairless Joe, too.

This is one of my all-time favorites, an action-packed adventure that will keep you guessing.

Buy the first book in the series, Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman.

4. The Kid who Ran for President

This is a more relaxed and comedy book than the others, also by a different author named Dan Gutman, another one of my favorites. These two books are my favorites of his (the other being The Kid who Became President).

They are about a kid named Judson Moon who decides to run for President as a goof and ends up making it a close election, thanks to his genius friend Lane Brainard, who serves as his campaign manager. While a little young and basic for older tweens, it can be a very fun and interesting read for some. Gutman could be a professional comedian, these books are hilarious! This is the type of things kids dream of, too. There are many times when reading this that you’ll find yourself literally laughing out loud.

Buy, The Kid who Ran for President by Dan Gutman.

5. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

This is the famous John Grisham’s first venture into books for kids. While I haven’t read his adult books, I can definitely say that these are amazing!

The first book is about a 13 year-old only child whose kids are both lawyers. He is very interested in the court system, of course, and constantly sneaks away from school to go down and watch the proceedings.

The story of the book is one of the biggest trials in the town in a long time; a murder trial. The prosecutor alleges that a man by the name of Pete Duffy murdered his wife after she dies mysteriously. But other than suspicion, there’s no evidence to actually sustain such a claim. He’s going to walk.

But Theo learns of a previously unknown witness who can nail Duffy. The problem: Will he come forth? And will he be believed?

The trial actually isn’t wrapped up in this book, but is delayed until the third book in the series. It’s a very interesting book about the law system and a good case. Some have expressed boredom with the book, and I agree it might be for intellectually-minded kids. This is not nearly as face-paced as the first three, nor does it include the humor of the above. Still, it’s an intriguing story that many older teens will enjoy.

Buy Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham.

6. Last Shot

This is the first book in a sports series by John Feinstein. The main characters are fourteen year-olds Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol. They are the two winners of a writing contest so they get to travel out to write about the Final Four basketball tournament.

While there, they realize there is a plot to blackmail one of the star players, Chip Graber to throw a game on purpose. Stevie and Susan Carol work together with Chip to find out what is going on and to catch the guys who are orchestrating this. There are copies of these books for baseball (Change Up), football (Cover Up and The Rivlary; the former being the Super Bowl and the latter being about Army vs. Navy), and tennis (Vanishing Act), all with different plots and mysteries. There is virtually no regard for previous plot-lines, so it might be good to jump your tween in whatever his favorite sport is.

There are many twists of plot in here that make the story exciting front to cover.

Buy Last Shot, Vanishing Act, Cover Up, Change Up, or The Rivalry by John Feinstein.

So there you have it. Six breathtakingly awesome series that combine for a total of 35 great books. Most of these you really can’t go wrong with, and I’m sure your tween will agree.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, click here to get this feed or enter your email address below to get future book reviews, summaries, etc.

Now it’s your turn! Add your voice to the conversation and list your tween’s favorite books below.

I mentioned I would be mostly reviewing action/adventure fiction books on this blog (and I will be); but today I am doing something slightly different and reviewing a poem by Mark Twain, the famous author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Note: I will have a review up of the latter shortly).

How I Found It

It is a very unknown poem and I am guessing the vast majority of you have never heard about it. Everyone I’ve mentioned it to also didn’t know of its existence.

Perhaps ironically, that is why I found it. I had read where someone mentioned that a lot of people don’t learn the full truth. They read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but not “The War Prayer,” so I decided to see what “The War Prayer” is about.

Note: If you have any suggestions of your own for books/poems/short stories/etc. for me to review; please let me know in the comments below. I’d really appreciate it.

Description

So what is The War Prayer about? The War Prayer espouses Twain’s anti-war and anti-imperialist views by depicting religious demagogues enthusiastically encouraging people into war. Mothers and sisters of soliders cheer them, and those that did not have a male member of the family that could go to war were saddened.

The community was gathered together at church and were praying for victory in the war. But, in the middle of all this, a man steps in and points out that they shouldn’t just go into a war based on blind faith and pride. No, they should realize that it will be a very costly and bloody war, and they should carefully consider the facts and consequences in order so that they don’t go to war in error.

Not surprisingly, the people, in their ferver, discard him as a lunatic. The poem has clear anti-war undertones. It was not published before Twain’s death. As to why, he said, “No, I have told the whole truth in that, and only dead men can tell the truth in this world. It can be published after I am dead.” It is reported he was worried that it would ruin his career and cause him to be thought of as crazy. His family, his publisher, and many of his friends all urged him not to put it into publication

The Message

As to whether I agree with the political view of the poem I don’t want to get into here-this is not a political blog. However, it is very reminiscent of our society today. For example, with the recent war in Libya; people were saying it was going to help the Libyans greatly and we’d be home in days. They said we were helping people get out from a brutal dictatorship. Of course, not mentioning the Al Qaeda presence among the rebels, the tens of thousands of civilizan deaths, and the great expense of the war. And we’re still there!

I’m not saying you need to be against the war. But at least consider the possibilities, and don’t make a decision based on fabrications and lies! That is what Twain was saying.

The Negatives

The problem with the story is that Twain’s writing is not at its best here. As I mentioned previously, it was never published, so it never went through the final stages of editing, where it would have been further polished. It is not impossible to understand by any means, but the meaning of the story is not expressed in a totally clear fashion, and it was not immediately apparent to me what Twain was communicating. It was dictated by Mark Twain instead of written, which may have contributed to the relatively poor writing (I have had a similar problem with dictating myself, as well).

It is also only 1298 words, so it is fairly short. It should not take too much time to move through, even with the ambiguous way in which it was written. You can find it in several places online for free by merely searching, “Mark Twain War Prayer,” in Google. I won’t include the actual poem here because of possible copyright infringement.

The Verdict

So do I recommend it? It is definitely a very interesting piece, and shows more clearly Mark Twain’s political views (which he only hints at in his most popular novels). While it is not exactly like the current society and wars today (at least in the Untied States), which are not much motivated by religious reasons as much as political, it casts an interesting light on ideas like, “The United States must be the Policemen of the World,” American exceptionalism (the idea that America is so great it can boss the other countries around), and other similar notions; which begin to look more irrational and silly than carefully thought out, sound views. Again, even if you do believe in those concepts, it is a good challenge for the open minded.

It’s free and takes little time, so there’s not much reason not to read it. Overall, I give it a 3.5/5. I would give it a 4.5/5, but had to dock a point because of the relatively poor and unclear writing.

For more reviews like these, get this feed, or enter your email address below (free updates; no spam!).