Book Review 3 - Genre 6 - Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

Bibliography

Hale, Shannon and Hale, Dean. 2008. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Ill. By Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781599902883.

Plot Summary

Rapunzel’s Revenge is a fantasy graphic novel in which the protagonist Rapunzel is separated from her “real” family as a little girl and taken in by the evil mother Gothel. At age 12, Rapunzel decides to look over the wall and see what it beyond. What she sees is desolate and ugly. Beyond the wall, she meets the woman who is her real mother and is separated again from her as she is taken back to Gothel who punishes her by locking her up in a tall tree for four years. During this time, Rapunzel’s hair grows to incredible lengths, and she eventually escapes her prison vowing to find and free her mother. This vow takes her on an adventure where she meets Jack. Jack and Rapunzel become good friends and work together to find a way to free Rapunzel’s real mother from the evil Gothel.

Critical Analysis

Shannon and Deal Hale use the “everything but the kitchen sink” recipe for this fantasy graphic novel. They start with a heavy portion of fairy tale, add a little myth along with morals, and add a Wild West motif. Middle school students will love the strong sense of justice, adventure, and first love. For older students, the overuse of blending so many stories and cultures together may be tiresome.

Since most of the characters are spin-offs from other tales, it does not take long to figure them out. Rapunzel of fairy tale fame has the same advantage of long hair that helps her out except that this Rapunzel is a risk-taker who is not going to sit around waiting for a prince to rescue her. In fact, when a prince shows up, she tricks him. Rapunzel’s sidekick Jack is also of fairy tale fame better known as Jake and the beanstalk coincidentally has the goose who lays golden eggs. The evil mother character embodied in Gothel is a collective of all the evil mothers and stepmothers from various fairy tales. The other characters are an interesting assortment of various cultures. There are Indians, Mexicans, Asian, a French woman and European woodsmen to name a few. The oddest group of characters is some bandits where one is wearing pirate apparel and one of the others looks like a version of Mr. T. These are all familiar characters pulled from various stories.

Most fairy tales are set a long, long time ago, so using the Wild West makes for an interesting twist. Rapunzel starts out as a perfect child in a perfect villa until she decides to see what is beyond the wall. This is very reminiscent of the old adage “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” or in this case wall. Rapunzel finds the other side of the wall is not greener but instead dirtier and uglier. When she finally escapes from the tree that imprisons her, she heads out into unknown territory. The map on page 73 helps the reader understand the landscape that Rapunzel and Jack must travel. The illustrations also help establish the setting. At the villa, the pictures are filled with green and lilac, and then, dark and lots of brown colors in the other areas where Gothel has withered everything away. The illustrations are essential to the setting.

Additionally, the plot follows the usual fairy tale format. There is a quest for Rapunzel. She must escape from prison in the tree and find her “real” mother to set her free. Along the way, Rapunzel meets up with many challenges and obstacles to overcome. She must overcome the obvious ones like hunger and sleep, but also magical ones of sea serpents and overly huge wild boar. As soon as she completes one task, then something goes wrong, and she has one more thing to overcome. Her desire to complete a task is always based on her wanting to right a wrong. This pattern continues until she finally subdues the evil mother Gothel, and everyone lives happily ever after. The plot is very predictable and formulaic especially for older readers.

Shannon and Dean Hale’s style for this story seems manufactured. Using all the usual motifs, characters, and themes from tales makes the story feel retold. Furthermore, the language is an odd combination of Wild West dialect and more modern word usage. In some places the readers hears Wild West words like “swigger-jiggered,” “yep,” “dag-nabit” and “scared spitless,” and in other places more modern words and phrases like “avatar,” and “That’s just wrong” (p. 66). This lack of consistency could be a problem for older readers, which seems to lend itself to an intended audience of middle schoolers. There are jokes about passing gas and embarrassing first kisses that would appeal to this age group. Overall, it is an entertaining twist on old material for younger readers, but maybe too predictable for older readers.

Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly – “With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody.”

Alan Review – “This is definitely not your grandmother's Rapunzel—the quietly submissive, longsuffering princess, waiting for the prince to rescue her.”

School Library Journal – “The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive.”

Kirkus Review – “A dash of typical fairy-tale romance, a strong sense of social justice and a spunky heroine make this a standout choice for younger teens.”

Connections

* Share picture book versions of the following stories (there are many versions available) and discuss how they connect to Rapunzel’s Revenge. In addition, a compare/contrast of the illustrations would be interesting.

• Rapunzel
• Jack and the Beanstalk
• The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
• Samson and Delilah
• Pied Piper of Hamelin
• Pandora

*Create reader’s theater scripts for students to perform.

*In groups, have students select a fairy tale and rewrite it in a different setting.

Book Review 2- Genre 6 - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Bibliography -

Green, John. 2005. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books. ISBN 9780525475064.

Plot Summary –

Pudge (Miles Halter) is a high school junior from Florida who decides to go to an Alabama boarding school to find the “Great Perhaps” in this contemporary young adult realistic fiction novel. Miles, a lanky geek, had given up on having friends in the seventh grade, which sparks his curiosity about his soon to be roommate Chip at Culvert Creek Preparatory School. Pudge completes a group of misfits in which he becomes friends with some and falls in love with one, Alaska Young. Alaska has a terrible accident, and Miles, driven largely by guilt, tries to discover the truth of her accident. In his quest for the truth, Miles learns to forgive and finds his way “out of the labyrinth of suffering.”

Critical Analysis –

This unforgettable story of a group of high school friends and their first year at a boarding school captivates the reader through Green’s lifelike characters, impressive style, and poignant adolescent themes. Green’s realistic depiction of teenage friendships, love, pranks, and language may cause some to challenge this novel for public schools; however, it is a powerful story that older readers will benefit from experiencing. While some may feel that Green’s handling of teenage sex, drug use, and alcohol may be treated in a nonchalant way, in the end, the seriousness of choices along with their consequences is fully explored.

Green’s characters are vivid and real. He provides the reader with an up close and personal look at each one of the main characters. The group of four misfits and later five are all brought together through their differences. Each one does not fit in with the regular students who Miles calls “Weekday Warriors.” The Weekday Warriors are the local rich kids who go home every weekend. Miles and his friends are outside the norm, and therefore naturally gravitate to one another. Miles Halter, nicknamed ironically Pudge, is a lanky geek who loves to read people’s last words. His roommate Chip, nicknamed the Colonel, is extremely intelligent and extremely poor. Takumi perhaps the dorkiest of the bunch loves to run with a fox hat on his head. All three boys adore Alaska Young who is full of energy, emotionally moody, and loves to read. These four bond together because they feel no one else can understand their idiosyncrasies. Later, another misfit, Lara joins the group as Miles’s sort of girlfriend. She is a wealthy Romanian girl with a strong accent.

Green’s style is striking to the young adult reader. Most engaging is the almost journal like format told in first person point of view. There are two main sections of the novel – “Before” and “After”. The reader immediately realizes that something happens that changes their lives forever. In the “Before” section, the days countdown to the great tragedy, and in the “after” section, the days count away from it. In either direction going toward that day or away from that day, the days contract and then expand focusing the reading into the catastrophic event. Since Green writes first person in a conversational tone, Miles (Pudge) compels the reader to become part of the story. For example on page 186, the Colonel is relating the events on the night of Alaska’s accident as he recorded them from his conversation with Alaskas’s boyfriend Jake. The Colonel reports that Jake asks her what she is doing and she says, “Nothing, just doodling,” and then starts cussing and crying. At this point, the reader wants to yell at them, “Look at the doodling! It has to help explain what happened that night.” Unfortunately, it does not strike them yet, and the reader has to wait for Miles’s thoughts to catch up.

Additionally, the language of this conversational tone brings the story to life. Green uses dialect when appropriate especially the Southern dialect of Alabama. In addition, he uses particular speech patterns like when Takumi, who is Japanese, says, “I think we run now (p. 63)”. While Green uses this language pattern of dropping the helping verbs, which gives the reader an early hint that Takumi is of Asian descent, it is not done in a stereotypical manner. It is merely how Takumi speaks. Another instance of his conversational tone is when Lara enters the story. She is a Romanian girl who speaks with an accent. She explains that she has trouble with certain vowel sounds. The story is more realistic since Green has everyone speaks in a manner expected for their unique upbringing.

Green’s greatest accomplishment is his handling of profound themes in a way that is not moralizing. He addresses feminism, immortality, and the afterlife all of which are ever-present in the mind of young adults. Green uses Alaska Young as the one who makes sure young woman are treated equally to men. She never misses an opportunity to point out to the guys when their words or behavior is sexist. In fact, after her death, Miles remembers her efforts in this matter when he says, “I almost told him that Alaska wouldn’t want him to call any woman a bitch…” (p. 169). The most pronounced example is the final prank the junior class decides to pull in memory of Alaska. Its name says it all, “Subverting the Patriarchal Paradigm,” (p. 199). Young adult males have a way of objectifying women, and Green causes them to rethink this behavior.

Two other intense and closely linked themes for the young adult are immortality and the afterlife. As Miles says, “Teenagers think they are invincible,” (p. 220). Green fully explores this idea through the heartbreaking death of Alaska. Through Alaska’s death, Miles realizes not all teenagers are invincible and spirals into deep dark depression in large measure to his overwhelming sense of guilt. He thought that he should have realized just how drunk and upset she was and not let her drive. He and his roommate spend all their emotional, mental, and physical efforts into determining if her death was an accident or suicide in their attempt to come to terms with immortality may not be reality. Before Alaska’s death at the end of the first semester, Miles’s religion teacher gives the class a topic for their final exam to ask one question and answer it based on what they had learned about religion. Miles’s question is “What happens to people after they die?” (p. 78). He had no idea that he would have to live through the realization of the answer.

During the process of coming to terms with Alaska’s mortality, Miles comes to realize his true thoughts on the afterlife Very insightful, Mr. Hyde the religion teacher uses Alaska’s question from the first semester as the question for the second semester exam. The question is “How will you—personally—ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” This probing question leads Miles to his own enlightenment based on his life changing experiences over the past months. He realizes three things: 1. to survive the labyrinth of suffering, one has to forgive (p. 218); 2. “…see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions,” (p. 218); and, 3. the meaning of Thomas Edison’s last words, “I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful” (p. 221). This powerful young adult contemporary realistic fiction will leave the reader thinking about the “Great Perhaps.”

Review Excerpts –

School Library Journal – “This novel is about real kids dealing with the pressures of growing up and feeling indestructible.”

Children’s Literature – “This is an amazing first novel by a writer who is young enough to vividly remember his poignant years of high school and skillful enough to turn his memories into story.”

Kirkus Review – “What sings and soars in this gorgeously told tale is Green's mastery of language and the sweet, rough edges of Pudge's voice.”

Awards:

• Michael L. Printz Honor Book

• Finalist, 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Prize

• 2006 Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults

• 2006 Teens’ Top 10 Award

• 2006 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Connections –

* Share poetry of W.H Auden and Edna St. Vincent Milay. Discuss why Green might have chosen these poets to use.

*Share excerpts from The General in His Labyrinth by Gavriel Garcia Marquez.

*Have students read A Separate Peace by John Knowles. How are these two novels quite similar even though A Separate Peace is set during WWII?

*Have students discuss whether they find the ending satisfying. Have them suggest alternative endings.

*Have students create multimedia book trailers.

*Set up a blog to spark discussion on and interest in the novel.

Book Review 1 - Genre 6 - Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

Bibliography -

Gantos, Jack. 2002. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374399894 .

Plot Summary –

Joey Pigza, a boy who has severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), goes to visit his dad one summer and discovers that he and his dad are not as alike as his mother thinks. Joey is anxious to get to know his father and to please him. Unfortunately, Carter Pigza, his alcoholic father, is more concerned about being a winner through his son than with his son. Joey is torn between what he knows is right and an overwhelming desire to win his father’s love. In order to win his father’s love, he must win the baseball championship on his dad’s terms even if those terms are destructive. In the end, Joey realizes that it is in his mother’s arms he prefers to be because to her Joey is “the right kid.”

Critical Analysis –

Gantos explores the sensitive issues of ADHD and other dysfunctional issues facing today’s families in this contemporary realistic fiction novel. The plausible plot and credible characters crafted through non-stereotyping the stereotypical traits combine to create an enjoyable story for young readers; however, the overuse of figurative language particularly simile and hyperbole may be tedious to older readers.

The plot is extremely plausible to anyone who knows a child of divorced parents. The children go visit their fathers and the struggle begins. The children try to win their father’s affections, and the father tries to make up for lost time with the children. From this general plot line, Gantos adds the complications that Joey is severely ADHD requiring medication, and Joey’s father is also ADHD, among other things, but self medicates with alcohol. Most satisfy and real-life is the fact that despite all the storybook references, this tale does not have a happy ending yet it is hopeful. Joey returns to the security of his mother’s arms with a new realization of what “being normal” means for him.

Gantos creates credible characters through an interesting use of non-stereotyping the stereotypical. At first, the fact that Joey is a boy with ADHD might sound stereotypical until the reader realizes that Grandma and Joey’s mother also display symptoms of ADHD, which may account for Joey’s severity with the disorder. Grandma shows symptoms in her obsessive smoking behavior and the hilarious golfing incident. She is hitting one ball after another when the oxygen tube on her tank caught on her golf club. She does not realize it and swings through causing herself to fall. She quickly hops up even though she is physically weak. In addition, she talks continually jumping from subject to subject just like Joey.

Although a little more subtle, Joey’s mother also has symptoms of ADHD. Joey comments in the second paragraph that although he had asked a “hundred” questions, she is “not really listening.” Additionally, facts that point to her having attention deficit problems are that her driver’s license is “slightly expired,” “driving too fast,” “don’t have insurance,” and “she could never do two things at once.” In isolation these may not add up to attention deficit, but adding Joey into the equation can get the reader to this conclusion. Also, apparently ADHD, is the Chihuahua named Pablo. Stereotypically small dogs are considered hyper, but Pablo has a fewer added traits in case there is any doubt. He gets carsick, yaps nonstop, chews stuff up when he gets nervous, and “gets hysterical at the sight of blood.” The non-stereotypical use of the stereotypical adds humor to this otherwise serious story.

While younger reader may not notice, older readers may find the overuse of figurative language as the only drawback to this otherwise delightful story. Since everything about Joey is extremely “hyper,” it makes sense that it also manifests itself in his speech as hyperbole. It is difficult to find an example of Joey speaking without hyperbole, yet that is not bothersome. The problem comes in when all of the other characters are using many similes most of which are hyperbole. After a while, the reader gets weary when the word “like” appears yet again. Some are carefully placed and add humor, gravity, or deep insight to the text, but most seem to be there just to be there with no added meaning. Besides this one shortcoming for older readers, Gantos has crafted an excellent work that gives the seriousness of ADHD and its effects on the family without leaving the reader depressed.

Review Excerpts –

School Library Journal – “Readers will be drawn in immediately to the boy's gripping first-person narrative and be pulled pell-mell through episodes that are at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening as Joey grows to understand himself and the people around him.”

Children’s Literature – “Gantos still gives us what we love best about Joey—neither medicine nor a bad situation can take away his comic responses..”

VOYA – “Gantos's style of writing and the subject matter make this book a great middle school read-aloud.”

Kirkus Review – “A tragic tale in many ways, but a triumph too.”

Publishers Weekly(starred) – “Like its predecessor, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease.”

Awards:

· A Newbery Honor Book

Connections –

* Share the poem “Whatif” by Shel Silverstein and then read the first paragraph of Joey Pigza Loses Control. Have students make of a two-column chart listing the “Whatif” questions from both selections under “Serious” and “Not so serious.” Discuss why they made those choices.

*Use to explore figurative language particularly simile, metaphor, and hyperbole.

*Encourage the reading of other Joey Pigza books by Gantos such as:

• Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key – ISBN 9780064408332

• What Would Joey Do? – ISBN 9780060544034

• I Am Not Joey Pigza – ISBN 9780374399412

*Demonstrate reader’s theater with an excerpt, then group the students and have them write their own scripts of their favorite part and share them with other class members.

*Group students and have them research and share the effects on families of the following:

• ADHD

• Alcoholism

• Lack of Anger Management

• Illnesses of elderly family members

• Divorce

Bibliography -

Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. New York: Laurel-Leaf Books. ISBN 9780440227533 .

Plot Summary –

This historical fiction is set in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1943. During WWII, the Germans are removing the Jews, and the Johansen family bravely steps up to help a young Jewish girl, Ellen Rosen, along with other Jews to escape to Sweden. The Johansens work with the Danish Resistance to help the Jews evade the Nazis. This fictional story based on true accounts is told through the experiences of Annemarie Johansen, a ten-year-old girl who is the best friend of Ellen Rosen. Annemarie must complete a task that requires courage and strength beyond her young years, or the efforts to rescue the Jews will fail. Through the love and support of her family, she finds the courage to complete her critical role.

Critical Analysis –

Lowry creates an astonishing tale of courage and friendship through vividly described settings, believable characters, and profound themes. The story takes place in two locations. One is the city of Copenhagen and the apartment building of the Johansens. In the beginning on page 2, the reader can picture being on a typical sidewalk in east Copenhagen. Lowry gives the name of the street name as “Osterbrogade”, and on this sidewalk, the reader sees ”small shops and cafes,” ”an elderly lady in black who carried a shopping bag made of string,” and ”A young woman pushing a baby in a carriage.” The reader is on the sidewalk with Ellen and Annemarie. Later the story moves to Uncle Henrik’s place that is ”The house by the sea” (p. 60). Once again, the reader is right there with the girls. Lowry describes it as, “little red-roofed farmhouse...very old...chimney crooked...small, shuttered windows tilted at angles...A bird’s nest, wispy with straw...a gnarled tree was still speckled with a few apples…” (p. 60). Reading Lowry’s descriptions is like looking at photographs of someone who has been there.

Additionally, the believable characters are so real that the reader can empathize with all of their emotions. Kirsti, Annemarie’s younger sister, behaves exactly as a five-year-old would. She is an innocent little girl who stubbornly and defiantly faces off with the German soldiers who are questioning her older sister. In contrast, Annemarie is a dutiful older sister and friend who is willing to do whatever she can to save her best friend even if it means she will suffer. After the Johansen’s have taken Ellen in their family to hide her from the Nazis, a terrifying event takes place in their apartment one night. German soldiers pound on the door and are looking for the Rosens. Ellen Rosen is posing as Annemarie’s older sister Lise. The reader is terrified when Annemarie realizes Ellen is wearing her Star of David necklace. They frantically try to remove it, but Annemarie must yank it off and hide it in her hand, which places herself in grave danger. After a frightening interrogation by the German soldiers, they rip a picture of Lise in two and leave somewhat satisfied. Annemarie relaxes and looks at her hand, “and saw that she had imprinted the Star of David into her palm” (p. 49). This imprint symbolizes the fact that Annemarie’s friendship with Ellen is imprinted on her heart, and she is willing to face possible devastating consequences for their friendship.

Annemarie’s courage does not end with this episode. She also shows tremendous courage toward the end when she has yet another encounter with German soldiers. She is sent on a mission to deliver a very important package to her Uncle Henrik who is hiding Jews on his boat and preparing to take them to safety in Sweden. She does not know exactly what the secret package contains, but follows her mother’s details to “act as a silly little girl” (p. 105) if stopped by the soldiers. Annemarie is very believable throughout this episode. Along the way, she reminds herself of stories that she told her little sister to offer comfort and distraction. Then when she meets up with the soldiers, just like a dutiful 10-year-old, she does exactly as her mother instructed, and the mission is a success. As a result of following her mother’s directions, she arrived in time to give the package to Uncle Henrik and all of the Jews he is hiding are boated off to safety. Among this group is the Rosen’s and Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen. Annemarie saves her best friend’s life, and her extreme courage is very believable in this carefully crafted narrative.

Furthermore, Lowry uses the powerful theme of Biblical friendship to make this historical fiction riveting. The Biblical references are impossible to ignore since the Rosens are Jewish. The title is a reference to God’s promise to Abraham that his descendents would be as plentiful as the number of stars, yet they are in danger of being annihilated as this story reveals. In the Bible, it is says that there is no greater love than to die for a friend, and Lowry illustrates the full realization of this intimate level of friendship. The Rosens are friends of the Johansens, and the Johansens risk everything including their lives to hide their daughter Ellen. Ultimately, they facilitate rescue of the whole family at great risk to themselves. In addition, the Danish Resistance works as a group to get the information out and set up rescues for Jewish families, and Peter, a member of the Danish Resistance, gives his life for the cause. Moreover, Annemarie protects her friend even thought she knows the German soldiers would harm her and possible take her life if they found out. The powerful bond of friendship along with the picturesque setting and true to life characters captivates the reader’s attention and heart.

Review Excerpts –

• School Library Journal (Starred review) – “[A story of] Denmark and the Danish people, who Resistance was so effective in saving their Jews.”

• The Horn Book – “The whole work is seamless, compelling, and memorable – impossible to put down; difficult to forget.”

• Kirkus Review (starred) – “A deftly told story.”

• Booklist (starred) – “Lowry tells her story well, fashioning a tense climax.”

Awards:

• Newbery Award 1990

Connections –

* Have students also read The Diary of Anne Frank – ISBN 9780582017368. In groups have students focus on one of the following aspects:

• Compare/contrast in conditions for Jews in Copenhagen versus Amsterdam.

• Compare/contrast the perspective of a 10-year-old versus a 13-year-old

• Compare/contrast the perspective of a non-Jewish protagonist with a Jewish protagonist.

Then have each group share their findings.

*Social Studies: Have students research treatment of the Jews during WWII by the Nazis and list passages that demonstrate some of the examples they find.

*Social Studies: Have students read I Am An American by Jerry Stanley – ISBN 9780517885512, and discuss how the Japanese situation in American was similar/different from the Jewish situation in Europe.

*Have students create a journal about a time when they or someone they know have experienced unfair treatment, and explain how these experiences are like/unlike one of the characters in Number the Stars.

*Set up a blog and have students journal about a time when they or someone they know showed courage, and explain how these experiences are like/unlike one of the characters in Number the Stars.

Book Review 2- Genre 5 - The River Between Us by Richard Peck

Bibliography -

Peck, Richard. 2005. The River Between Us. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780142403105.

Plot Summary –

The setting begins in the summer of 1916 when a 15-year-old Howard makes a trip with his father and young twin brothers to visit his father’s relatives who live on the other side of the Mississippi River. In 1916, America was anticipating the entry into WWI. Faced with imminent war, all young men begin to think about who they are, and Howard is no exception. During this family visit, Howard’s Grandma Tilly retraces the Pruitt family history during the American Civil War, and the story of two young mysterious women from New Orleans who changed the their lives forever. This historical fiction fully explains life on the Mississippi River during this period of American history. In the end, Howard gets what he desires in the beginning, to know more about himself.

Critical Analysis –

In this thoroughly researched historical fiction, Peck captivates the reader with his use of first person narrative, realistic description, and inviting mystery. The last section entitled, “A Note on the Story” gives complete details on and significance of the historical references in the story that may be unknown to the reader. Immediately in the narrative, Peck draws the reader in by a direct acknowledgement of the reader through the conversational tone of both narrators, Howard and Tilly. He continues throughout the novel reminding the reader that he/she is part of the story. Howard’s first words are “To me” which indicate that he is sharing with the reader his personal insight. Another example is on page 82, when Tilly says, “I let him rant, and use some language I won’t repeat here.” Tilly is sparing the details of inappropriate language in this obvious conversational exchange with the reader. Again, on page 120, Tilly addresses the reader with “And if you ask me…” The reader is continually engaged first hand in this masterful story.

Likewise, Peck draws the reader into the story through powerful descriptions. He enables the reader to experience life in a muddy little Mississippi River town, the horrors of the Civil War, and life on the verge of the next Great War. The reader can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch life in the past. On page seven, the reader learns of impending wartime restrictions on travel followed by a detailed description of a road trip in 1916. On the trip, the father with his boys sleeps in the car, roasts wieners on the side of the road, and tells ghost stories as they travel to a town across the river. The reader even learns about auto mechanics of the day when Howard reports, “Dad broke a fresh egg into the radiator so that it would hard-boil and seal the leaks” (p. 8). The reader goes along for the ride through the rich detailed descriptions.

Next, Tilly, a 15-year-old from Grand Tower, transports the reader back in time to 1861. In this muddy little town, the reader smells the “lavender scent” (p. 14), sees the “hoopskirts” (p. 89), and enjoys the hilarious incident of Calinda helping Delphine into her corset. This scene helps set the stage for the contrast between New Orleans life in the South and life in the small town of Grand Towers in the North. One of the more powerful images is when Tilly describes her first impressions of the big Illinois city of Cairo. She says, “The filth of the place was beyond anything you ever seen…abuzz with bluebottles and mosquitoes…The whole town was a dump. The swollen carcasses of dogs lay about, and even a dead horse half in a cut of water red with its blood” (p. 109). The reader learns every detail of Mississippi River life including what they wore, what they ate, and how they lived.

In addition, Peck uses language of the time in his descriptions to add authenticity to the story. Some of the more colorful words and phrases are “nekkid” (p. 21), “britches” (p. 25), “dadburn it” (p. 42), “brazen little hussy” (p. 78), and “battleaxes” (p. 80). The last two are unflattering remarks shared by Delphine and the women of the town. Also, Peck uses quite a bit of French, which is the language of Delphine and Calinda. He always provides the reader with the translation in text, so no part of the story is lost. By using the native French language, he makes the narrative more authentic without losing the reader who may be unfamiliar with the French language. Additionally, Peck does not water down the language. On page 98, Tilly describes half of the soldiers as “drunk” before going off to war, and Mama telling Tilly that she could “spare” her but not Noah. At this point, the reader feels Tilly’s heartbreak over Mama’s seemingly harsh comment.

Through Tilly’s firsthand accounts, the reader receives a history lesson on the horrors of life during the Civil War. Tilly describes camp life for the young soldiers on page 97 as “getting the trots,” “no weapons or uniforms,” “rations of salt pork and dry beans,” “no blankets,” and “Men and boys lost in a pasture!” Later, Tilly explains that the weapons they were later given did not fire. Then, Tilly gives a full account of her entrance into the soldier’s sick tent. It is crowded and dirty – each step “sinking in slime” (p. 114). It was putrid because the boys are laying on “stinking straw” (p. 114) since “they were too weak to get to the privies, if there were privies” (p. 114). On page 135, Tilly begins the real horror of battle by describing the scene of wounded soldiers returning from war. She tells about “Blood soaked through the stretchers,” “boy’s matted black hair,” “the crowd wept like children,” “powder-burned,” and her brother’s “blunt wad of blood-soaked bandages.” Later the reader finds out that in the battle where Tilly’s brother Noah loses his arm, their long lost father fought on the other side and died. Peck leaves out none of the horrors of war.

Even though he does not need any more invitation to the reader, Peck uses mystery to build suspense in this spell binding narrative. The story starts with the mystery of whom Howard’s father’s family is. Howard knows very little of them except that, his mother is “standoffish” where they are concerned, and he is named after his mother’s side of the family. When first arriving at Grand Towers, Howard says of his little twin brothers, “They felt the weight of its history, and mystery” (p. 14). The mystery continues with Grandma Tilly’s tale of two strange women from New Orleans who do not reveal very much about themselves, and the people of the town gawk and gossip about who they could be. The reader hears tales of card reading, mystical nature cures, and Tilly’s sister Cass who has visions of the past and future disasters.

Perhaps Peck’s most suspense-building technique is his use of foreshadowing. On page 65, Tilly says, “We still had Noah.” This begins the reader’s mind asking questions like, “Is he going to war?” and “Will he die in battle?” In other places, the reader is also led down this path are when Mama goes mad and sends Tilly to get Noah, and when Calinda sees the coffin in the cards. All along, the reader is given hints about Paw, who the Pruitt family has not seen for years. Moreover, the foreshadowing of the eventual union of Tilly and Dr. Hutchings cannot be missed. On page 90, Tilly tells the reader “he was old. He was twenty-five if he was a minute,” and then says, “he led me in a trance up on the stage,” as he dances with her. Finally, on page 141, Tilly realizes Dr. Hutchings is for her even though the reader has concluded this long before. Even the biggest secret had its hints, in that, Delphine has a picture of her father that she hangs over her bed but not one of her mother; the fact that she wears so much clothing and elaborate hats even in the heat of summer; and when Delphine tells Tilly, “We don’t marry…Not as you know it” (p. 107). All of this about Delphine foreshadows the truth of her heritage and Howard’s too. Peck weaves together a well-researched historical fiction that the reader cannot put down until the all the secrets are revealed.

Review Excerpts –

School Library Journal – “In this thoroughly researched novel, Peck masterfully describes the female Civil War experience…”

Kirkus (starred reviews) – “Peck’s spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery…”

Publishers Weekly – “Without compromising his superb comedic timing and vibrant portrayals of country folk, Peck reaches new depth with this Civil War-era novel.”

Awards:

• Winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction - 2004

• A National Book Award Finalist - 2003

• ALA Notable Book

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Connections -

*Social Studies – After reading the book, have students construct a timeline of important historical events from the novel and explain how the author weaves them into the novel. Create a blog for students to post their findings.

*Music of the Civil War – Share with students some recordings of Civil War Music. The website http://www.pdmusic.org/civilwar.html and http://www.pdmusic.org/civilwar2.html have a nice assortment available in MIDI files.

*Share poems from The Columbia Book of Civil War Poetry: From Whitman to Walcott – ISBN 9780231100021.

*Read other Richard Peck Historical Fiction and compare/contrast especially his female protagonists:

• On the Wings of Heroes – ISBN 9780142412046. (WWII)

• Amanda/Miranda – ISBN 9780141312170. (Titanic)

• Ghosts I Have Been – ISBN 9780141310961. (traveling in history past and future)

• Ghost Belonged to Me – ISBN 9780140386714. (1913 – Midwest)

• A Long Way from Chicago – ISBN 9780141303529. (Great Depression)

Book Review 1 - Genre 5 - Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Bibliography -

Cushman, Karen. 1994. Catherine Called Birdy. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 0064405842.

Plot Summary –

This historical fiction is Catherine’s diary that she is recording at the request of her older brother. He feels it will make her “less childish and more learned” (p. 2). She records each day from September 12^th until September 23^rd of the following year. Catherine is an average 13 year old living in the Middle Ages. Her father who is a knight feels she has reached the age to get married, and he seeks to find her a proper suitor. Her abusive father is looking for someone who can increase his wealth and is not concerned how Catherine feels about his choice. Clever Catherine does not agree with her father that she is ready for marriage and finds creative and often hilarious ways to chase off each suitor. Through reading the detailed account of the daily events in Catherine’s life, the medieval times come to life.

Critical Analysis –

Cushman presents an authentic portrayal of life in the Middle Ages through the words of young Catherine in this historical fiction. After reading this fascinating book, the reader has painlessly learned a bit of history. Cushman shares the language, food, holidays, daily life, cures and much more of England in 1290. During this time, a lady’s tasks included sewing, brewing, doctoring, and picking maggots from meat (p. 13). All of which, Catherine hated just as teens today hate doing their chores. The doctoring might be a bit surprising to be a lady’s job, and some of the cures are just as surprising, such as, chamomile and dung for headaches (p. 149) and wallflowers and warm wine for child birth pains (p. 192). The book is full of surprises for today’s young adult reader.

Just like any average 13 year old, Catherine wants her own life and not the one her father decides is best for her. Catherine wants to be a scribe, a crusader, a minstrel, a pig boy, anything but a wife. In this coming of age story, Catherine starts off as a bratty little girl and transforms to a hopeful young lady who says, “The world is full of possibilities” (p. 205). The historical details in the plot are presented in a way that young adult readers can grasp life in the Middle Ages without being overwhelmed or having the facts watered down. As Catherine plots to rid herself of each suitor, the reader is increasingly encouraged that she will succeed in getting out of marriage. The reader learns that fleas are an everyday fact of life and that in the winter a bath is out of the question. Also, the reader learns the harsh reality that young girls whose father’s are knights have no choice in when they will get married or who they will marry.

Besides the unfamiliar events of medieval life, the reader also learns about Catherine’s feelings of being a caged bird as they are creatively woven into the story. First of all, Catherine’s nickname is Birdy because she has a collection of birds hanging in cages in her room. Birdy tells all of her secret thoughts to the birds who “listened quite politely” (p. 8). While at the fair, Catherine’s desire for freedom is expressed when she kicks over a basket of cocks that were used for fighting, and says, “I thought I was Moses leading them to freedom” (p. 18). When the birds returned to their cages, she is so depressed that she is ready to end her adventure and leave the fair. In the end when she accepts her fate, she says, “In any event, I am, if not free, at least less painfully caged” (p. 205). Just like the cocks at the fair, Catherine has no real choice but to stay in her cage, yet it is a cage of her choosing and for a young girl in the Middle Ages that was the best case scenario.

Additionally, Cushman has an interesting way of sharing prejudice of the time period and avoiding stereotypes when a group of Jews come to Catherine’s for a visit. This takes place during the time the Jews were being expelled from England. Catherine is very anxious to see them because she had been told that Jews have horns, tails, and are Hell-born, wicked, and dangerous (p. 14). At first, she is frightened of them and watches from a distance. As she observes them, she discovers that are very much like Christians, so she decides to speak with them. She listens to them tell stories from the Bible and is unhappy to see them leave the next day, so much so, that she decides to dress up like a boy and leave with them for an adventure at the fair. Through this experience, the reader learns to observe, interact, and draw their own conclusions about others instead of merely relying on the conclusions of others. This work of historical fiction accurately captures the time period while connecting the young adult reader through Catherine’s struggles of self-determination. The reader learns just as much about the trials of growing up as he/she does about life in the Middle Ages.

Review Excerpts –

Publisher’s Weekly – "The period has rarely been presented for young people with such
authenticity;…”

School Library Journal – “A delightful, rebellious heroine, determined not to marry the man of her father's choice.”

Children’s Literature – “Cushman brings the Middle Ages alive with a revealing, humorous and riveting story…”

The Horn Book – “Fascinating and thought-provoking.”

Awards:

• A Newbery Honor Book

• 1995 Notable Children’s Book (ALA)

• 1995 Best Book for Young Adults (ALA)

• Quick Picks for Young Adults 1995 (ALA)

Connections –

*Before reading Catherine Called Birdy, use DK Eyewitness Books : Medieval Life ISBN 978-0756607050 to give students an overview of life in the Middle Ages.

* After reading Catherine Called Birdy, have students research medieval life and verify Catherine’s account. Put students in groups and give each group a different aspect to research, such as, foods, holidays, cures, clothing, housing, entertain, etc. When they are finished have the students set up displays depicting what they have learned and share with others.

*Read other similar books:

• The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman – ISBN 9780064406307

• Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman – ISBN 978-0064406307

• Crispin: Cross of Lead by Avi – ISBN 978-0064406307

*In groups, have students select their favorite part from Catherine Called Birdy and write a reader’s theater script. Then allow them to perform it for others.

Book Review 3 - Genre 4 - Hillary Rodham Clinton by Kathleen Krull

Bibliography -

Krull, Kathleen. 2008. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams taking flight. Illustrated by Amy June Bates. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781416971290.

Plot Summary –

In this biography of the former First Lady Hillary Clinton, Krull begins with a young girl who dreams of being an astronaut and moves through the major events of her life leading to her run for President of the United States. Krull focuses on Hillary Clinton’s desire to help others, and the many obstacles she faced along the way. After the story, she includes end notes that elaborate and support information in the story.

Critical Analysis –

This biography is two very different books – a picture book biography and an endnote reference book. The first part is a picture book biography. This section is engaging for young children, but the narrative does not hold the attention of older children. Each page includes an event from Hillary Clinton’s life and words of advice written in script that relate to the event. Perhaps the words of encouragement written in script will give the older reader something to think about. Another problem for older children might be the heavy handedness with the themes. One theme that is repeated on many pages in this section is her desire to help people as her driving motivation for her life choices. Also, overdone is the “space theme.” Krull uses it on almost every page with forced phrases like “blasting off like a rocket” (26), “airborne in politics” (31), and “sailed up through the clouds” (33). Younger children may not notice, but older ones will certainly feel uncomfortable with the unnaturally forced similes and metaphors.

In contrast, the endnotes section entitled, “Flying Facts” is great for the older children. In this section, Krull gives details to elaborate on each of the events listed in the picture book section. She provides very specific information including people, dates, and events important in Hillary Clinton’s life. It is in this section that the reader learns who Hillary Clinton really is and what her life was like. One example is that in the picture book section the reader hears repeatedly that Hillary Clinton wants “to help other people” (10), but it is not until the endnotes that the reader learns how she fulfills that desire. In the endnotes, the reader learns of Hillary Clinton raising money for children of migrate workers (34). This book could serve dual purposes. Younger children will enjoy the picture book story part, and older children will enjoy meeting the Hillary Clinton presented in the “Flying Facts.”

The best part of the book is the illustrations. Bates does a fabulous job with portraying the little girl dreaming of being an astronaut and showing the changes that take place as Hillary Clinton moves through her life. On page 8, a studious looking 8^th grader is not swayed in her determination by a boy in front of her cutting his eyes her way with a condescending grin. On page 14, the reader sees a confident Hillary Clinton with hair up and glasses on for the first time at her college graduation. Bates also doesn’t lose sight of the space theme. She draws the solar system as the baby’s crib mobile on page 23. And finally on page 32, the reader sees an older woman proud of her lifetime of accomplishments yet ready for the challenges ahead. The illustrations tell a more engaging story than the picture book text.

Review Excerpts -

Publishers Weekly –“ Bates (The Dog Who Belonged to No One) contributes radiant if consciously heart-tugging illustrations, imbuing her subject with both an endearing geekiness and determined idealism.”

Booklist – “Krull’s text has a lofty tone befitting the book’s subtitle, while Bates’ pictures, with a stylish retro look, keep the focus on Clinton, capturing her in all her incarnations.”

School Library Journal – “Ardent Clinton supporters may relish this homage, but others probably would appreciate a more down-to-earth biography.”

Connections -

*Select other books about Hillary Clinton and create a chart comparing the facts presented in each. Discuss how publication date affects information, and discuss the differences between those written by woman and those written by men. Some suggested titles are:

• Hillary Rodham Clinton by Victoria Sherrow – ISBN 9780875186214
• The Importance of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Jim Gullo – ISBN 9781590183106
• Hillary Rodham Clinton by Richard Kozar – ISBN 9780791047125
• Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics by Catherine Thimmesh – ISBN 9780618971435

*Compare/contrast with Maya Angelou’s poem “State Package for Hillary Clinton”

*Read other books about women by Kathleen Krull and discuss how these women are alike and different:

• Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought) – ISBN 9780152008079
• A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull – ISBN 978-0802796158
• Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman. ISBN – 9780152020989
• Marie Curie(Giants of Science) – ISBN 9780670058945

Book Review 2- Genre 4 - Weather by Seymour Simon

Bibliography -
Simon, Seymour. 2006. Weather (Smithsonian). New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060884390.

Plot Summary -
Aimed at an audience ages 5-9, Simon explains the Earth's weather, what causes it, what affects it, and how weather affects our daily lives. In this introduction to weather, he gives a detailed yet direct explanation of the subject matter. Besides the text, Simon includes life-like photographs and graphic artwork to enhance the understanding of weather in this informational book for children.

Critical Analysis -
Simon creates an excellent informational resource for the topic of weather in this photo essay book. He is extremely knowledgeable on the subject and has won awards for other children's science books that he has written. The fact that the Smithsonian has lent its name to this work demonstrates its accuracy on the subject matter. In this nonfiction work, Simon carefully distinguishes between fact and theory. On page six, he fully elaborates the facts on the impact of global temperature change by explaining that just a few degrees cooler could cause another Ice Age and a few degrees warmer could melt polar glaciers causing coastal flooding. Later on page 30, he goes on to say, "Some scientists think..." when talking about global heating as being man-made. This introductory phrase clearly lets the reader know that this aspect is a theory and not fact. Although this is a well researched book, Simon does not include a bibliography which leaves room for improvement as a research tool.


With his young reader in mind, Simon crafts this intriguing nonfiction book. A clear connection between various weather elements is always established, so the reader can build his/her knowledge from one page to the next. Also, Simon includes a glossary of terms for unfamiliar words and an index for quickly finding specific facts. Moreover, he includes a "Read About It More" section that suggests websites and books for further study. Additionally, he defines challenging vocabulary parenthetically within the text, so the read does not have to stop to look up the word. Still with his young reader in mind, Simon uses a large font and mostly simple sentences for easy reading. Furthermore, his introduction immediately engages the reader by inviting the reader's curiosity to find out how all weather could be possible at the same time. Likewise, the conclusion brings it all together by stating the relevance of weather to everyone's daily life. He takes a complex subject and make it easy for a child to understand.

Probably even more inviting than the text for young readers are the illustrations. For the most part, Simon uses photographs, but also includes some graphic artwork by Ann Neumann. The photographs are mostly serene scenic pictures of places that someone would love to be. These alluring pictures show the weather element being discussed in the text adding to the information presented on the page. One of the most astounding photos is the NASA photograph of a person in space on page 17. It stirs the natural curiosity to wonder what it must be like to be in outer space and witness the weather below on Earth. The graphic artwork illustrations are very simple, so the young reader can easily see what is discussed. The one illustration that seems difficult to grasp is on page 27. It is a picture of frost on a window. While the window frame is clearly seen, the picture of the frost does not resemble what is seen by the eyes. While children may know what frost looks like, they will not recognize it in this photograph; however, with this exception, the illustrations help bring weather to life for the reader. Through a meticulous presentation of weather facts and intriguing illustrations, Simon has created a valuable informational book on weather that children will enjoy.

Review Excerpts -
Kirkus reviews - "Simon may have done more than any other living author to help us understand and appreciate the beauty of our planet and our universe."

School Library Journal - "...this book is a perfect marriage of words and pictures."

Children's Literature - "Using a simple but well researched text, the author gives a concise explanation of the forces in nature which creates various weather conditions."

Booklist - "Solid, useful, and accessible, this is a very valuable 40 pages."

Connections -
*Use to introduce research skills to children especially younger children.

*For older children, compare/contrast other books about weather by creating a chart to list facts about weather from each one:

• The Weather Identification Handbook: The Ultimate Guide for Weather Watchers by Storm Dunlop - ISBN 9781585748570
• Weather (Eye Wonder by DK Publishing - ISBN 9780756603236
• Weather (Eye Witness) by Brian Cosgrove - ISBN 9780756630065

*For younger children, compare/contrast the format with one of the following:

• Oh, Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?: All About Weather (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) by Aristides Ruiz - ISBN 9780375822766
• Weather Words and What Do They Mean by Gail Gibbons - ISBN 9780823409525 - (This book is in comic book format.)

*Visit www.seymoursimon.com for a visually stimulating website full of wonderful enrichment activities. The children can blog with the author or on the book, get help with projects, and explore interesting science facts.

Book Review 1 - Genre 4 - We Are the Ship by Nelson Kadir

Bibliography -
Nelson, Kadir. 2008. We are the ship: The story of Negro league baseball. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 9780786808328.

Plot Summary –

Nelson compiles a thorough and authoritative history of the black baseball league of the early 20^th century. He explains the hardships endured and the untold stories of triumph of African American baseball players during the days of segregation. He presents his narrative divided by innings which starts at the beginnings of the Negro league baseball and ends in extra innings with Jackie Robinson who breaks the color barrier to play in white major league baseball. The foreword is written by Hall of Famer Hank Aaron who was America’s home run leader for three decades and grew up in the shadow of segregation and briefly played in the Negro leagues.

Critical Analysis –

In this informational text on Negro league baseball of the early 20^th century, Nelson creates a powerful narrative and includes moving oil paintings which combine together to produce an excellent resource for a variety of purposes. He moves very appropriately through the history of the league in innings rather than chapters. Each inning starts off with an interesting and related quote to give the reader a hint of the chapter contents. His narrative is extremely engaging written from the point of view of an omnipotent unnamed narrator who could be any baseball player in the league. This provides an authentic feel making the reader experience being right in the middle of the action. He captures the social and political mood of America during the time of segregation. The reader experiences the full range of emotions from hate toward the players during this tumultuous time in American history to the love of the game the players felt. Nelson captivates the reader with his story.

Just as powerful and emotional are his bold and beautiful oil paintings. His life-like paintings are the perfect illustrative format for this book. Most of the paintings are from an up-close and forward facing perspective. They captivate the reader’s attention and make the reader even more interested in finding out the facts about these players. Perhaps the most memorable illustration starts on page 10. When the reader first turns to this page, a two page layout of a ticket to the first colored World Series appears. Then the pages fold out to make a four page spread of all the players, coaches, and others who were involved in this game. They are standing tall and dignified lined up one next to the other. There sharp distinctive faces are in direct contrast to the blurred view of the fans in the stands. The focus is clearly on those directly involved in the game. This book focuses on the players, who they were, and what they accomplished, and even the illustrations support that center of attention.

Nelson not only creates powerful words and pictures, he also provides the reader with a well documented resource for research. Not only does Nelson supply the history of Negro league baseball, but he also gives the reader an in-depth understanding of how other historical events such as the Great Depression and WWII contributed to this time in American history. This book could be used in a wide variety of ways in social studies class. Nelson also includes other reference aids for researching. He includes two helpful lists; one is a list of Negro leaguers who made it to the major leagues, and the other one is Negro leaguers in the national baseball hall of fame. Additionally, he includes a bibliography, filmography, and endnotes to document his information. And finally, Nelson includes an index of names, teams, cities, and terms, so that the reader can quickly find needed information. This well documented book with a user friendly layout is a touching historical account of a turbulent time in American history. It is a great resource for social studies, and a great choice to encourage the reluctant reader.

Review Excerpts –

School Library Journal – “Social studies teachers and baseball fans of all ages will covet this delightful winner…”

Booklist (starred reviews) – “If the story is the pitch, though, it’s the artwork that blasts the book into the stands.”

Publishers Weekly – “Nelson (Ellington Was Not a Street) delivers a history of the Negro Leagues in a sumptuous volume that no baseball fan should be without.”

Awards:

• 2009 Coretta Scott King author award and illustrator Honor award.

Connections -

*Social Studies – use to help explain segregation in early 20^th century America.

*Students could research baseball players from Negro league baseball.

*Compare/contrast Nelson’s sports artwork in other books he illustrated such as:

• Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordon in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordon. ISBN 9780689834196.

• A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie Peanut Johnson by Michelle Y. Green. ISBN 9780142400722.

• The Real Slam Dunk. By Charisse K. Richardson. ISBN 9780142402122.

• Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen. ISBN 9780142501412.

Book Review 3 - Genre 3 - Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones

Bibliography -

Sones, Sonya. 1999. Stop pretending: what happened when my big sister when crazy. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780064462181.

Plot Summary –

This verse novel for young adults by Sonya Sones is an autobiographical collection of poems cataloging her experiences when her older sister developed a mental disorder. Each poem moves the reader through the early traumatic months of learning to cope with this life altering event.

Critical Analysis –

Stop Pretending is an emotionally powerful collection of poems that chronologically reveal the painful progression of a teenage girl dealing with the mental breakdown of her older sister whom she adores. Sones masterfully sequences the poems. The first poem titled “My Whole Family” describes her last happy memory before her sister’s mental collapse. Then, she shares her sister’s breakdown Christmas Eve, a holiday which is perhaps the most sacred of family time. The next poems expose a passing of time through holidays, her birthday, spring, disturbing hospital visits, glimmers of hope, more disappointment, and finally the day when they could play Scrabble as a family together again spelling the word “BETTER.” Despite all the emotional anguish revealed in the poems, Sones leaves the reader with hope.

Sones creates rhythm with line lengths and stanza breaks. She frequently uses short staccato lines and single word lines to add emphasis. For example, in the poem “Apologies,” she has six stanzas of apologies trying to relieve herself from guilt, but when she gets to the last stanza, her last apology is formulated into single word lines, “every/single/terrible/thing.” This structure allows her to emphasize the fact that she would take back every single terrible thing she ever did if it would erase what happened to her sister. Two other examples of her short staccato style are “The Truth Is” and “You Are.” In each of these poems, she hammers home her point by using short or one word lines. This structure creates a powerful emotional impact.

Most of her poems are free verse, but she carefully places rhymes for maximum effect. In the poem “It’s Been Forever,” Sones describes her sister’s emotional detachment as a child’s game of hide-and-seek. By using rhyme in this poem it reinforces the childlike mental condition her 19 year old sister has entered. Another example of rhyme is on page 22. Sones is questioning what might happen if her friends find out that her sister is crazy. She ends this poem with the two line rhyming stanza, “If I let them all know, /would they go?” By placing the rhyme at the end, it emphasizes the question and causes it to linger. Her perfectly placed rhymes add to the emotional impact of the poems.

The most striking element in her poems is her use of powerful images mostly created through sensory detail. In the poem, “Paper Doll,” Sones describes a memory of her sister creating “that perfect little paper doll” which occurred some time before her sister was hospitalized. This image allows the reader to feel just how fragile and unreal their life must have been. In other poems, she uses sensory details to provoke intense emotions. Her first poem, “My Whole Family” while short conveys the warm feeling of togetherness by using “whole,” “woven,” “moondappled,” and “swayed as one.” On page 35, she has a very short poem about wanting a dog which ends with, “he’s lick the salt off my cheeks.” This image shows her deep emotional need for relief from her grief. One of her most emotionally packed poems is “During History Class.” She draws the reader into the moment, and her sense of betrayal is equally felt by the reader. Every poem is an example of her skillful art. Her poetic structure and conventions along with her powerful images worked together to create a moving masterpiece.

Review Excerpts -

Kirkus Reviews – “The poems take on life and movement, the individual frames of a movie that in the unspooling become animated, telling a compelling tale.”

Booklist (starred review) – “The poems have a cumulative emotional power. They record the personal and translate it into the universal.”

School Library Journal – “Unpretentious. Accessible. Deeply felt.”

Horn Book – “Sensitively written.”

Awards:

• Christopher Award
• Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry
• Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award
• Gradiva Award for Best Poetry Book
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Connections -

*As the students read the poems, have them plot the events on a time line.

*Have discussions about mental illness.

*Using the poems, have the students write diary entries-changing the verse to prose.

*Have the students write poems about themselves or someone they know who has experienced something traumatic.

*Have students read The Diary of Anne Frank and find diary entries that match the emotions in some of Sones’ poems.

*Visit the web site http://www.sonyasones.com/spteachers.htm for more ideas.

*To promote author appreciation - share some of the author interviews from the web site http://www.californiareaders.org/interviews/sones_sonya.php

*Encourage students to read other Sonya Sones books:

• What My Mother Does Know ISBN 9780689855535
• What My Girlfriend Does Know ISBN 9780689876035
• One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies ISBN 978-1416907886

Book Review 2 - Genre 3 - Monster Museum by Marilyn Singer

Bibliography -

Singer, Marilyn. 2001. Monster Museum. Ill. By Gris Grimly. New York: Disney Hyperion Books. ISBN 9781432121008.

Plot Summary –

Monster Museum is a single poet compilation anthology of 21 poems and includes a “glos-scary.” The first poem sets up the premise of children going on a tour of the monster museum. The following poems are descriptions of various exhibits in the museum, and the final poem is a farewell to those who visited the monster museum. After the poems is a glossary that gives information on each of the monsters, scary things, and mythical creatures mentioned in the exhibits.

Critical Analysis -

Monster museum is a great collection to share anytime but particularly around Halloween. While the reader will enjoy the absurdity of the poems, lots of enlightening information is also presented. The reader learns much about the various creatures not only in the glossary but in the poems themselves. For example, the poem on Frankenstein points out that the creator of the monster is Frankenstein, and that the monster had no name of his own. While most poems give accurate information, one is suspect. The poem on the unicorn says, “A lizard with wings is a horror, /A stallion with wings is a beaut. /A snake with a horn is a nightmare, /A mare with a horn is just cute” (p. 31). Here the poem implies that a unicorn flies. This is not accurate. The winged horse from Greek mythology is known as Pegasus and is not a unicorn. This small gaffe does not take away all the laughs.

Pardon the previous playing with rhymes, but Singer does the same in this collection. Mostly the rhymes are entertaining and creative. The poem on the Blob has a very interesting rhyme and use of language. It plays with variations of the word job and continues the rhyme with the new word. Only one rhyme falls a little flat; it is in the poem, “The Ogre, The Troll” when she rhymes “them” with “them.” Besides rhyme, Singer also uses a considerable amount of alliteration, repetition, and interesting line structures to enhance her poems. In the poem “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, she writes the poem as dialogue between the two who are the same person. It makes for an interesting format. Her use of language and structure create a not too spooky kooky collection of amusing poems.

This book of poems is illustrated by Gris Grimly (a pseudonym for Steven Soenksen) using watercolors. The illustrations are perfectly paired with the poems. Grimly starts off in the welcoming area of the museum with the children and their guide and moves through each exhibit with exciting and hilarious images. The characters are all exaggerated in one way or another which adds to the fun. The children on the tour for example have pencil thin legs and overly large feet which is a comical combination. Each page is loaded with visual extras to explore just as one would find at a real museum exhibit. Medusa’s beauty parlor is quite fascinating with the wide range of shears and accessories. And in the end, the monsters go home on the school bus with the children symbolizing the knowledge the children take with them after visiting the museum. Every excellent museum strives to leave a lasting impression on their guests and Monster Museum is no exception.

Review Excerpts -

Publishers Weekly - "Among the season's best creature features."

School Library Journal - "This fresh, witty book will be popular for not-so-scary storytimes, as well as independent reading."

Kirkus Review - "Singer's poems are lively and humorous..."

Connections -

*Share the poems during October and use as part of a Halloween display.

*For fun, play the Disney recording of the song "Monster Mash" and have the children listen to identify which monsters appear in both the museum and the song.

*For older children, have them do some Internet research and see how accurate her portrayal of the monsters are.

*In groups, have the children research other monsters, scary things, or mythological creatures and write poems for their own exhibits in the Monster Museum.

*Have students compare/contrast the illustrations in other books by Gris Grimly:

• Gris Grimly’s Wicked Nursery Rhymes ISBN 9780972938877.
• Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Madness by Edgar Allen Poe, ISBN 978068984837.
• The Dangerous Alphabet by
  

Book Review 1 - Genre 3 - Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes by Patrick J. Lewis

Bibliography -

Lewis, Patrick J. 2002. Arithme-Tickle: an even number of odd riddle-rhymes. Ill. By Frank Remkiewicz. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Books. ISBN 9780152058487.

Plot Summary -

This individual poet compilation of poems makes math fun. J. Patrick Lewis includes 19 poems all dealing with numbers. Most of them are rhyming word problems to solve, but a few are just plain fun using numbers. The answers are included in small print and inverted in case the reader gets stumped.

Critical Analysis -

Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes is an engaging collection of poems. First of all, solving the riddle is always appealing to a reader. The brain instinctively begins to solve the puzzle as it reads. Not only does it appeal to children, it also engages the adult reader. For example, at first I was stumped by the title. It mentions, "An Even Number..." When looking at the table of contents, there are 19 named poems. That's an odd number, but when looking at the individual poems only 16 are "odd riddle-rhymes." The three remaining ones are not riddles; they are poems using numbers in an interesting way with nothing to solve. While the entire collection is not riddles, they all involve numbers.

Most of the poems use rhythm and rhyme which is in keeping with the riddle tradition. This helps them to be memorable. Some of the poems rhyme more than others. Lewis does not force the rhyme for rhyme sake, but uses it to enhance the poem. Most of the rhythm is written in iambic meter form. This creates a sing-song beat that further appeals to the reader. Other sound devices Lewis uses are alliteration and parallel structure. These are not widely used, but are effective when selected. His language is generally creative and sometimes surprising. In one poem, he uses the invented word "poo-poo-pee-doo" as the name for a poodle. For younger children, this may be a problem because many of them may hear it as "potty talk." I think most of them would probably giggle, but some may be a little surprised.

Overall, the poems are quite hilarious and the illustrations add to the humor. The illustrations are bold and bright in watercolor and prisma color pencils on Bristol board. Each illustration adds to the overall effect of the poem. The faces for the most part are jubilant and only deviate when it is referenced in the poem. For example on page 19 when Farmer Flynn's sheep die, he is shown as crying. On page 20-21 is a poem entitled "How many coconuts" in which the illustration is absolutely necessary to solve the riddle. Also, the poems are written on appropriate types of paper. The poem about a mailman is written on pictures of postcards whereas most of them are on pictures of spiral notebook paper. Two are on stationary which are poems written between friends, and the last one is on a drawn banner with cheerleaders holding it up to celebrate the readers completion of the book. The poems and illustrations are intricately linked. This is a great collection of poems to encourage kids to enjoy math.

Review Excerpts -

Publishers Weekly - "...offers a host of clever math riddles with titles like "Finger Play" (which teaches a nifty trick for multiplying by nine) and "Your Average Cow,"

Booklist - "The humorous tone of the rhyming text and the variety of puzzles will definitely add to the fun for those who are ready for a challenge."

School Library Journal - "A new book by a wordplay master always adds up to fun."

Connections -

*Cross curricular with math. The children can read and solve a fun riddle poem to reinforce a recently covered math concept.

*Using their favorite poem as a model, the children can create their own rhyming riddle poems and have their classmates try to solve them.

*Other math picture books to use:

· A Pair of Socks: Matching by Stuart J. Murphy and Lois Ehlert (HarperCollins, 1996, ISBN: 0-060-25879-9). This book supports young students in learning about pairs, patterns and differences.

· Leaping Lizards by Stuart J. Murphy and Joann Adinolfi (Harper Collins, 2005, 0-060-00130-5). This books supports counting by fives.

· How Many Birds Flew Away: A Counting Book with a Difference by Paul Giganti, Jr. (Greenwillow, 2005, ISBN: 0-060-00762-1). This book uses counting and subtracting.

· Math Potatoes: Mind-stretching Brain Food by Greg Tang (Scholastic, 2005, ISBN: 0-439-44390-3). This book uses math strategies for young children also uses riddles like Arithme-Tickle.