Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems
In traditional Mo Willems fashion, this book was absolutely adorable. Elephant and Piggie are playing catch when a snake comes and asks if he can play, but he doesn’t have any arms! Through the process of trial an error Piggie finally comes to a conclusion, where they are al able to play catch. The unique thing about this book was the dialogue. It was very short and straightforward, but because of the comic book style of using text bubbles, it seemed more meaningful. The background color of each bubble was different depending on which character was talking. They changed up the size and shape of the text and bubbles to match the mood and feeling of the character. Plus, the way they solve the dilemma in the end was very creative. I am now an Elephant and Piggie fan!
LEGO Star Wars: A Visual Dictionary by Simon Beecroft
The author opens up the book with an annotated timeline of all the Lego models, related to Star Wars that had been sold between 1999 and 2009. He then divided them into categories such as: Movie Saga, Clone Wars, Specialist Sets and Beyond the Brick, followed by a lot of sub-categories. Under each heading he has a picture of the complete model of everything mentioned in the timeline at the beginning. He uses captions to explain who and what they are, how they function and he labels everything. This is definitely a really cool visual dictionary collection, especially for Star Wars buffs, collectors or hobbyists who build their models. I’ve never been a huge fan of Star Wars, but I realize that a lot of people are and was therefore able to appreciate the time and effort that was obviously put into this book.
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
City Dog looked forward to going to the countryside whenever he could, so that he could see his friend Country Frog. They go through spring, summer and fall, but by winter Country Frog has disappeared and by the following spring he’s still gone. City Dog doesn’t know what happened to his friend, but he is able to move on in a positive way. There are two strengths to this book. First of all is the author Mo Willems, he is so good at using a few well chosen words to convey so much emotion. The second strength is the illustrations. They are done in water color, which gives them a slightly fuzzy look, but the technique gives them a lot of depth and emotion, so the complement the text. I think this would be a wonderful book to use with younger students to practice making predictions about what they think happened to the frog.
Sparrow Girl by Sarah Pennypacker
The elders in Ming-Li’s village in China have decreed that all sparrows be killed because they eat too much of the wheat crop. Over the course of three days they decimate the population. Ming- Li makes a vow with her older brother to save as many of the sparrows as they can. In the end she was only able to save the lives of seven, yet the sparrows she protected end up saving the village. Therefore, she becomes known as “Sparrow Girl.” Apparently, this picture book is based on a true event called “The Sparrow War” which took place in 1958 in China. There were two things that caught my attention while reading this book. The first thing was the illustrations, which were well drawn and supported the story, but the characters didn’t really look Chinese. The other thing I noticed was the text. It was extremely small, but easy to read due to the type of font. I think this would be a good book to use in an English class, to show how real events can be semi-fictionalized and made into story books.
Fancy Nancy: Oh La La it's Beauty Day by Jane O'Conner
Fancy Nancy wants to do something nice for her mom’s birthday, so she decides to give her a spa day in the backyard. She creates a spa, complete with facials and hairstyling. She gives her mom a complete makeover, but in the end she’s worried she ruined it because her hair style doesn’t turn out at all like it’s supposed to. The neat thing about this book is that Fancy Nancy provides you with the recipes for yummy snacks and tips to re create your own spa day, things such as a facial mask recipe. In addition, she explains why and to make it sound more upscale, she uses basic French words ad in some cases big words because as she explains they sound sophisticated. This is another book geared towards girls and one that they would find delightful. Plus, it may make them want to read the rest of the books in the Fancy Nancy series.
Written in Bone: The Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Susan M. Walker
This is a wonderful non-fiction book that looks very closely into forensic anthropology, which is basically the study of skeletons and scientists are able to piece together how they died, how old they were when they died, their nationality and in some cases identify who they were as well as their social standing. The author Mrs. Walker has teamed up with some forensic anthropologists to create a fascinating journey into how the colonists of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland lived and died. My favorite part of the book was the pictures. The pictures were real photographs with captions which supported the text very well. In addition to the photographs, they also provided maps to show the locations of where they were digging. Also, the text was very straight forward and easy to understand. Plus, since there wasn’t a lot on each page because of the pictures and layout, it didn’t seem like you were reading a boring text book. This would be a good book to use in a history class for research and get the kids more engaged in their learning.
The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton
This book was absolutely adorable. Geraldine doesn’t just believe that she is a Fairy Princess, she knows for a fact that she is! The entire book she talks about what she does, that lets her know this, such as how she has to wear her crown at all times even in the bathtub so she makes one out of bubbles. Geraldine is very imaginative and in the end, you can see why she feels like fairy princess. My favorite part of the book was the fact that after she explained to you what she did as a fairy princess, at the bottom of the page in parentheses she explains why, even when her brother tries to prove her wrong. It really is a cute picture book, definitely geared more towards little girls, but it would be a god book to read aloud before they go to bed.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora & Illustrator Rafeal Lopez
This was the 2010 Illustrator Award winner of the Pure Belpre Medal. Basically this book is written to celebrate children’s day and book day. It is a book that tells you where books can take you and how we should all celebrate together on this day in April. Plus, it’s written in English on one page and Spanish on the other. Combine that with the colorful illustrations and wonderful writing of Pat Mora and you have a good choice for kids. The biggest strength of the book is the bilingual aspect. It allows more people to understand the book, since not everyone has English as their first language. Plus, since Spanish is the second most predominate language in the United States it makes the most sense. I think as librarians and teachers that we should promote Children’s Day/ Book Day or El día de los niños/El día de los libros by reading this book.
My People by Langston Hughes & Photographer Charles R. Smith Jr.
This particular book won the 2010 Coretta Scott King Award for illustrator. The illustrator was Charles R. Smith Jr. and he chose to take sepia tone photographs of African Americans of all ages and put the poem “My People” by Langston Hughes with the pictures. Even though this was a very short poem, when you combine it with the pictures it is very moving. It is suppose to be a tribute to the African American race. My favorite feature was the fact that the photographs were done in the sepia tone. This made them more powerful. You could really see the detail yet still tell that they were African American. I will be honest because of this, though I found it moving I probably didn’t get as much out of it as I would have had I been an African American myself. Yet another book, that would be good to use in the introduction to poetry or during African American heritage month in February.
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable LIves of Bass Reeves by Vaunda Micheaux
This was the 2010 Coretta Scot King Award winner for author and another remarkable book about an African American, that I’ve never heard of. Bass Reeves was a former slave, who escaped to freedom and went onto become a U.S. Marshall in the territories. He was known as a force to be reckoned with someone who always got his man. In his three decades as a lawman, he made more than 3,000 arrests and only killed 14 people. Even though it was a biography, since it was combined with such wonderful illustrations. It actually read more like a story picture book that provided you with interesting information. The other neat feature was that at the end it provides you with a timeline, additional information and resources for further study. This would be a good book to use during African American history month.
The Hunt for the Seventh by Christine Morton- Shaw
Jim and his family move into a haunted mansion, after his father becomes the head gardener. There is a stone garden and stone statues located throughout the grounds. The spirits are children who keep telling Jim to “Find the Seventh” No one believes him, the owners autistic son Einstein. Jim has to figure out the clues that the ghost children are leaving for him and solve the prophecy before it’s too late. However, things aren’t always as they appear. This book reminded me a lot of the movie “The Sixth Sense” as far as not seeing what is coming until the end. Throughout the whole book Shaw did wonderful job of tying all of the clues together, without being predictable at all. Also, the aspect of Jim’s family dynamics and how everyone is coping with their mothers’ sudden death adds another dimension to the story. This was a book that I couldn’t put down and kept me guessing till the end, a definite recommendation to reluctant readers.
Jake Ransom and the Skull Kings Shadow by James Rollins
Jake Ransom’s parents were famous archeologists who disappeared a couple of years ago. One day Jake gets a weird package and the next thing you know Jake and his older sister Kady are transported into the strange world of Calypsos, located thousands of years in the past. Jake realizes that in addition to having to watch out for the Skull King, who is trying to take Calypsos over, that this world could lead them to the answers of why their parents disappeared. This is the first book in this series and it reminded me of a cross between the Percy Jackson series and the movie “National Treasure”. It is definitely action packed and full of adventure. I thought it was a little on the predictable side, but for younger reluctant readers, especially boys I think this would be a good suggestion and one that would keep their attention.
My Abuelita by Tony Johnston
A little boy lives with his grandmother and describes the routine they follow before she goes to work every morning, including bathing, singing, dressing, eating breakfast and getting dressed. The biggest strength of the book is the illustrations. They appear to be alive. The characters look like puppets without strings and because of the depth and color combinations it looks like you can actually see into the picture, in a 3- dimensional manner. In addition, it has Spanish words sprinkled throughout with the meaning being written within the text, so they are easy to understand and no meaning is lost. This would be a good book to read aloud to kids because it has a lot of voice ad lends itself to lively reading.
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Jamie is fourteen- years old and has gone AWOL from military school. His goal is to travel across country and get to his oldest brother “P” before he dies of cancer. On his trip, which takes many days he encounters all types of intriguing people and experiences many weird things. He writes all of his thoughts and experiences down in a notebook. Each entry is written as a letter addressed to family and friends that he will never send. This was a very honest, gritty book. Between Jamie’s encounters with a transsexual, getting jumped in a bathroom and getting touched by an old man and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, you’re not sure what will happen next. In addition to the situations that Jamie gets himself into, his dialogue and thoughts are very authentic. The most unique thing about this book was that it’s hard to know what race Jamie is. In the beginning based on his manner of speech and his nickname “Punkzilla” I thought he was black. Eventually you realize that things aren’t always what they seem. My only issue with the book was the ending. I thought it ended way too abruptly and left a lot of questions unanswered. However, it did leave room for a sequel.
The Season by Sarah MacLean
Seventeen- year old Lady Alexandra was raised in a house full of brothers, so the last thing she cares about is behaving like a proper aristocratic lady and getting married. Alex and her two best friends Ella and Vivi, get into all types of trouble and in the process Alex even finds love. Of all the books that I’ve read recently, this was by far one my favorites. It had a little of everything that makes the recipe for a good story, things such as romance, murder, adventure, espionage, etc. Plus Alex and her two friends were extremely relatable because of their way of thinking and frank conversations you really get to see what is going on in the girls’ heads. This book is definitely more geared towards young women who like mystery, romance and characters they can relate too.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Slob by Ellen Potter
Owen is twelve years old and the fattest kid in school, yet he is also the brightest. He is trying to find an answer to the question of who killed his parents by building a machine to see the past. In addition to this he is being picked on at school, his little sister wants to be a boy and someone keeps stealing his Oreos! I thought this book was very well written. In the beginning I didn’t understand the title. I thought it had to do with the main character being obese, yet the way the meaning is revealed at the end really pulls at your heart strings. Potter did a wonderful job with the foreshadowing and combined it with a very humorous but sad story. This would be a good book for anyone who has ever lost someone close to them.
POP by Gordon Korman
Marcus is a HS football player who moves to a new own during the summer. One of his first friends is a former NFL linebacker named Charlie, who teaches him not to fear being tackled. He realizes that something is not quite right with Charlie and that his family is trying to keep it a secret. However, he puts his own future on the line so that his Charlie can have one more memorable experience. I am personally not a huge football fan and was worried that I would find it boring. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though most of the scenes were set against football backdrops and lingo, it was a very touching story. Korman did such a good job of intertwining a heartfelt story and the game of football. Sometimes you wanted to laugh and other times you felt sorry for the characters. It was a very fast paced story and since it was written in the first person, Marcus is a very believable character. This would be a good book to suggest to reluctant or struggling teenage boys who don’t like to read.
Donut Days by Lara Zielin
Both of Emma’s parents are evangelical ministers who are on the verge of losing their church. In addition her parents have told her that she must go to a Christian college or they won’t pay for it. Emma decides to enter a contest to write a feature story for the local paper about the new donut shop opening and win the scholarship money so she can go where she wants. In the end everything works out, but not as you would expect. The biggest strength in this book was that voice of Emma was very revealing and poignant. She asked some very tough questions about religion and came to some revelations about herself, her spiritual life and her relationships with others. Overall, Emma seemed very relatable and I think many young adults could relate and have probably asked some of the same questions.
Dying to Meet you: 43 Old Cemetery Road by Karen Klise Illustrated by Sarah Klise
This by far was one of the most unique books that I’ve ever read. It’s about a old man named I.B. Grumply who is trying to write a book. He rents an old rundown mansion in Ghastly, IL and finds out that his rental includes an eleven year old boy with a cat and a ghost named Olive C. Spence. Eventually they all strike up a relationship and the story goes from there. This book is unique for several reasons. For one, it’s told through written letters, newspaper articles and drawn pictures. All of the talking is done through letters, which include letterheads so they are easier to distinguish. Another unique feature is that all of the characters have names that sound like statements, some examples include Paige Turner, Anita Sale and Frank N. Beans. Then you have Seymour Hope, the eleven year old who draws pictures to represent his thoughts and feelings. All of these different mediums of writing combined make for an interesting read. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Mudshark by Gary Paulsen
Mudshark is known as the guy who has all the answers and solves the problems and mysteries for students and teachers at his school. However, when a “psychic” parrot comes onto the scene, students start to say that it can outthink MudShark. In the end, Mudshark solves several mysteries, including how the parrot got his “psychic” powers and gets his “go-to-guy” status back. One of the biggest strengths is that each chapter opened up with an announcement over the intercom with a weird request or statement by the principal. Some of them included an escaped gerbil, emergencies in the faculty bathroom and erasers disappearing from classrooms. At first all of these announcements seem random, but in the end Paulsen tied everything together. In addition since each chapter was fairly short, it made the book a very quick read. Here is yet another book for young readers by Gary Paulsen.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Uglified Duckling by Willy Claflin
This book was very humorous. A young moose gets confused and thinks he’s a duck, so he follows around a flock of ducks and tries to imitate them; he even speaks his own moose language, which confuses the ducks. Obviously he fails miserably and gets discouraged. Yet in the end realizes that he’s a moose. My favorite feature of the book was the “wacky words”, that the author Claflin uses such as “fambly” for family or “distremely” for extremely because apparently moose’s’ have a language of their own. At the end of the book there is a moose to English dictionary, for translation purposes. This would be a wonderful book to teach a lesson on context clues and how to figure out the meaning of unknown words. I would definitely recommend it to teachers trying to teach these concepts to struggling elementary and ESL students.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Apparently there was someone before Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1955, a fifteen year old girl named Claudette Colvin wouldn’t give up her seat and was harassed and arrested, yet her story was never reported. However, a year after the incident she was called to testify with a group of women who included Rosa Parks. Thanks in part to her testimony she helped to overturn the segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama. What I really liked about this book was that it was told by interviews from Claudette herself and others involved. She talks about her experience as well as meeting Martin Luther King Jr. and other well known civil rights leaders. In addition the black and white pictures were powerful and helped add to the authenticity. This book made me think back to all of the times that I taught about the civil rights movement. I had never heard of this story and after reading this book I definitely think I will be teaching this part of history a little different.
Marcelo and the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
This was an interesting book to me. I have worked with kids diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (AS)so I was intrigued when I found out that the point of view was that of a boy who has Aspergers! Marcelo is a high schooler who goes to a special school because he of his AS. His father is lawyer who wants him to step out of his comfort zone and get used to the “Real World”, so he goes to work at his dad’s law firm for the summer and realizes that the real world is not always what it appears to be. This unique thing about this book was that even though it was written in the first person Marcelo refers to himself in the third person, so at times it was a little confusing, especially in the beginning. My favorite part of the book was seeing the inner workings of Marcelo’s mind and seeing him transition and growth of learning about himself and others. This is a book that I would suggest to older students because it makes overt references to rape ad infidelity. It also has profanity, but the profanity is peppered in naturally and helps to add another dimension of voice to the story.
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman
This book is not at all what I was expecting. It’s basically a long poem, written as a picture book with each page representing a color and a season associated with that color. My favorite touch was the illustrations for multiple reasons. For one, the first time through I thought they were unique, but they didn’t seem to go along with the text of the poem. However, when I read it again I realized that though the art work is unique and different, it does reiterate and support the text you just have to look multiple times or you might miss something. Then, the most unique thing that I noticed was the fact that every page and every illustration had some type of object made out of what looked like newspaper or a page from a book. Most of the time it was obvious, but other times it was so subtle that I found myself looking for it on every page. The last thing that I noticed and really liked was that every time a color is mentioned in the text, it was boxed in and the word was written in that color. This would be a good book to use for an introduction to poetry or for use in a unit on poetry.
Yummy! Eight Favorite FairyTales by Lucy Cousins
I’ve always loved reading fairytales, but I was curious as to how this book would be any different than others. Basically, Cousins retells eight classic fairytales, some of which are not so well known. The fairytales include: “Three Billy Goats Gruff”, “The Little Red Hen”, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “The Enormous Turnip”, “Henny Penny”, “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Musician of Breman”. There are several strengths in this book. For one you have very bold and vibrant illustrations, they are very juvenile looking, but compliment all of the stories very well. Also, the author and illustrator did a good job of using just a couple bold words next to or around the pictures for emphasis. Lastly the retellings were very repetitive, but for young and struggling readers this book would be a good resource to build their confidence.
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes
I only recently became a fan of graphic novels and I’d never read or seen one as a picture book before this. Benny and Penny are mice, who are trying to find out if their new neighbor is a monster and a thief. They end up realizing that things aren’t always as they appear. One of the major strengths of this book is the format. The pictures are written in a comic book fashion, which breaks the text up and keeps your attention. Plus, the use of onomatopoeia combined with the action allows kids to understand what’s going on even if they can’t read or understand all of the words. Also, the quality of the illustrations, are wonderful. The dimensions and depth that are created by Hayes, with his combination of shading variations and lines are very appealing. This would be a good book to introduce young students and early readers to books and instill reading skills at a young age.
Audio version critique of Chato and the Party Animals by Gary Soto
I’ve always worked with a high population of ESL and Spanish speaking students, so I am always looking for books that they can relate to and that authentically catch their culture. Chato and the Party Animals by Gary Soto is a wonderful example. Therefore, I was excited to hear it read aloud while I followed along with the book. I critiqued this book using the following criteria: Type of narration, voice quality, and pace, Sound Effects / music, Audience cues, Collateral material and technical considerations.
First, it was narrated by a single guy named Willie Colon and was fully voiced. Each character had a slightly different inflection from the others that could be distinguished. The second aspect that I looked at was the voice quality, which was very clear and pleasant to the ear. It was obvious that the narrator was a Hispanic man because you could hear his accent throughout, therefore the pronunciation of the Spanish words had the correct accent, which added to the authenticity. Colon also used variations in pitch and volume at appropriate times that went along well with the story. Next I looked at the sound effects and music. The story opened up with intro music, throughout you could hear incidental music as well as the sound of phones ringing, characters snoring, things squeaking, etc. It also offered a page turn indicator, which sounded like the pages of a book turning. Then I looked at the audience cues and collateral material together. The narrator only read the Title of the book, the name of the author and illustrator. He didn’t read the title page verso or the glossary of terms at the beginning of the story, which define the meanings of the Spanish words that are peppered throughout. He did however offer a tag line at the beginning, explaining how you would know when to turn the page. The last thing that I looked at was the technical consideration. The sound quality was very clear and precise, especially given that the medium was a CD that I borrowed from the public library. My only complaint was that there was too much time between the narration and the turning of the page indicator. As far as the packaging goes, the CD came in a plain, sturdy, plastic case. It was also nice not to have to adjust the sound level because it was very consistent throughout the entire reading.
Overall, I would recommend this audio version of the book to anyone who has a problem with Spanish accents or who wants to take a break from reading aloud. This just like many audio picture books would also be good for struggling readers.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
More Than MySpace: Teens, Librarians, and Social Networking
Lupa, R. (2009). More Than MySpace: Teens, Librarians, and Social Networking(Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series). Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.
Social networking is a thing of the future and the editor, Lupa does a good job of proving this point. The book opens up with an introduction by the editor explaining why this book was compiled. It is divided into nine chapters, with each chapter being written by an expert in the field of teens and social networking, a couple of the chapters are written by Lupa herself. The chapters range in length anywhere from five to twenty-five pages. The argument and point that they are all trying to make is that “Web 2.0” and technology are here to stay. Instead of fighting it and looking at all of the negatives that most adults associate with social networking and the internet, we should really try to reach out to this generation, which is different than the one we grew up in and as educators should focus more on trying to make our lessons more relevant an practical to today’s generation. Every single chapter offers suggestions and reasons why social networking is something both public and school librarians should utilize. Since all of the chapters are interrelated, they intertwine beautifully to reiterate the point that Lupa made in the introduction. It is a very easy, straight forward read. It offers tips, websites and bibliographies in all of the chapters. In addition to all of the insightful information located within the chapters, it also offers a list of the top 20 social networking sites among teens, according to a 16 year old boy, complete with a description of each site and the homepage URL. A glossary of technical terms used throughout the book that are used to describe social networking is also included. Plus, multiple pages of additional resources to conduct further research. This inspiring book is a must for any librarian who works with the youth of this technological age.
I sat down and read this book in one sitting. I have always been a big advocate of technology in the classroom and trying to incorporate it into my lessons. After working with tweens and teens for the past several years and seeing how dependent they are on technology this book really clicked with me. I will be honest that I’ve always wanted to do more, but never felt I had the resources or the time. I’m starting a new job as a librarian this next year at a school whose curriculum is based on research and technology. This book really made my mind work overtime. As I was reading I was taking notes and writing down websites from each chapter. I came up with some ideas that I am going to see if I can incorporate into the library. For example, I would like to not only have an interactive website, but also help all teachers create a ning, so that if they choose they can use it as a tool in the classroom for students to post their assignments. I plan on asking my district coordinator and my principal if this is an option. I chose ning because who can be allowed access to it can be controlled by the teacher. Plus, since it has a layout similar to Facebook and MySpace it would be very easy for the students to navigate and learn how to use. These are just a couple of the ideas that I would like to incorporate at my new school. I checked this book out from the public library, but I will definitely be investing in it and putting it on my professional development shelf not only for my personal reference, but also the rest of the staff.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers is one of my favorite YA authors and is known for relating to kids, especially to the African American population, that as adults we can’t even begin to understand. He doesn’t disappoint with this newest edition. Lil’ J has an addiction problem with cocaine. When him and a friend are involved in a drug deal gone bad Lil’ J has to lay low. Now he’s hiding out in an abandoned crack house, experiencing withdrawals and trying to figure out what to do. I will admit that since I don’t have any personal experiences of what it’s like to be addicted to drugs I had a hard time relating to Lil’ J, That being said in this day and age of drug use among teens this could be used as a very powerful tool to not experimenting or who have considered using drugs.
A Faraway Island by Annika Thor
The Holocaust has always been a part of history that has absolutely fascinated me. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that this is set during the Nazi occupation in Europe. 12 year old Stephie and her 8 year old sister are two Jewish sisters who are sent from Vienna to Sweden to escape the Nazi’s. It’s only supposed to be for six months, but s the war intensifies, Stephie is not sure she will ever see her parents again couple that with having a hard time adjusting to her new life and you have a heartfelt story that many young girls can relate to. This book brought to light a different part of the Holocaust that you don’t always think about and that is the displacement of kids. Thor did a wonderful job of making Stephie come to life. You could really see and feel her angst that comes with being a young girl of that age. The only weakness that I saw and it’s more personal than anything was that the ending left a lot up in the air and this was a story that I would have liked to have seen a definitive ending. However, because of the ending, you could have students continue the story or create an ending!
Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli
When we think of racism and the south we automatically think whites against black. Other ethnicities seem to fall through the cracks. This book is based on the true story of Italian immigrants in Tallulah, LA. Calogero is a fourteen year old boy who lives with his cousins and uncles. As a whole they run a successful produce business, but are caught in the struggle between the blacks and whites. Since they don’t fit into either category of race, they are constantly harassed and eventually it must come to an end. This was a very powerful book and it really brought into perspective the fact that racism affected anyone who was different. The author made Calogero very real and likeable. Not only was the book a good read, but the afterward was very interesting. Napoli explains how she came across this obscure story, her research and how she was able to weave fact and fiction together. This would be a good choice for 5th graders on up.
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
This was a story that hit close to home, especially with what’s going on now with immigration, Arizona and the federal government. Tyler’s family decides to hire migrant (illegal) Mexican workers to help out on their farm while his dad recuperates from a tractor injury. One of the men has three daughters, Mari is the oldest and she struggles throughout the whole book with fears of what happened to her mother and fear of being caught and sent back to Mexico. One aspect of the book that I really liked was that half of the book was in letter format written by Mari, explaining her thoughts and feelings, yet they are never sent. The rest of the book is about her growing friendship with Tyler and his family. There are a lot of ups and downs in the book, but it makes you look at such a controversial issue from a different perspective. I think this would be a wonderful book, especially to introduce and generate conversation in a non-threatening manner.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
When 6th grader Miranda starts getting letters from someone who seems to know everything about her past, present and future, her world is turned upside down. Now someone close to her is in danger and she is supposed to write responses to the letter writer. In the end, it’s not at all what you expect. The characters in this book are very well written. Miranda and all of the other characters are portrayed as your normal everyday middle schoolers with confusing family situations and personal relationships. Yet the author weaves in a mystery and hints at time travel. Looking at the cover, this was not what I was expecting, but that’s usually how it works. Also, the author’s use of subtle foreshadowing which culminates in the end was a neat touch.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Book by Mordicai Gerstein
This was another book that I wasn’t expecting. The premise is when the book closes all of the characters are asleep because it’s dark, yet when it’s opened al of the characters wake up. A little girl can’t decide what her story is, so she goes from page to page throughout the whole book, trying to find her story. The neatest thing about this book is the perspective. As you are looking at the pages, it looks like you are actually looking down into their world. At one point they even make a reference to it. Though this book has minimal text, it’s fun to examine the various pages and read the little words and conversation bubbles taking place between characters. This allows you to see things that you might have missed had there been a lot of text. You could use this book to teach or introduce elementary kids to perspective in any content area.
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
This story was not at all what I was expecting. For one, it has hardly any words, yet the pictures are so vivid and well drawn that it doesn’t really lose any meaning. It’s basically a fable told through pictures. The lion spares the mouse’s life and when the lion gets caught in a poacher net, the mouse chews through the rope to save him. The other thing I wasn’t expecting was the fact that no title was present on the front or back cover. One side was of the lion and the other of the mouse. It’s hard to tell the front of the book until you open it and find the title page. Also according to the authors note on the back flap, this is one book in a series of fables told through pictures. This would be a great book to get elementary kids practicing inferencing or making predictions.
The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin
Nik is deaf, Fatima is an refugee and Jimmi is a homeless vet, but what do they all have in common… New York. I will be honest I wasn’t sure how the author was going to make them all intertwine, but I was intrigued, hence why I chose this book. Basically the three aforementioned characters have their own personal demons/ struggles that they are trying to deal with. When all of their paths end up crossing they learn about friendship, trust and how harsh the world can be, while trying to survive on the streets of New York. The main thing I noticed about this particular book and what I would consider a strength is that it’s told from three different perspectives. Each chapter represents the point of view of one of the three characters. Therefore, the chapters are fairly short and it keeps you reading. This was a good, quick read and I would suggest it to struggling or reluctant readers in 6th grade on up.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith
This is another first in a series of books from Mr. Smith. You’ve been accused of a murder you didn’t commit and now you’re going to The Furnace. Due to a high rate of murder amongst juveniles a jail called “The Furnace” was created to house them. It is completely underground and once you go in you never come out. Alex can’t just sit there and waste his life away, so Alex and some friends struggle to find a way out. In the process several are killed or severely injured. I will be honest I couldn’t put this book down. My only word of caution would be the violence and death. There are some very graphic fight scenes and a lot of detailed descriptions about mutilation and torture. It was the type of book that makes you think and plays on all the fears of hell and the unknown. I was very irritated with the ending because it just cuts off and leaves you hanging. However, I know that the second book in the series will pick up where this one left off, so I now have to wait!
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
When I first saw the cover of this book and read the brief synopsis I almost put it down, but I’ve learned that you can’t judge a book by its cover, so I went ahead and read it. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. It takes place in Texas during the turn of the century (1899 - 1900). The main character is a 12 year old girl named Calpurnia Tate and she is the only girl of seven kids. The whole book is about her struggle with wanting to become a naturalist, thanks to her grandfather, but resigning herself to the fact that she has to learn the domestic side of being a girl during that period. In addition, there are a lot of references to history, such as the first telephone line and automobile, even what it was like to live during that time. In her acknowledgements the author does admit that some of her Texas history is exaggerated and not entirely accurate, but it made for a really good story. I really felt for this little girl and some of the stunts her and her brothers pull are hilarious. You could use this book across all content areas and it could lead to wonderful research and discussion. The neatest thing was when I first looked at the cover I wasn’t impressed it was the shadow of a girl and plants all around her. Yet, after I finished reading the book, I looked at it again and intermixed between all the leaves are objects mentioned in the book.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading this book. The first couple chapters, seemed a little slow, but I think that may be due to my age. However, as it is told from the point of view of a 16 year old boy with an incurable disease, who ends up on a big adventure that ties in all of the current pop culture of teens, I definitely think kids today would relate to it and see the humor. Once I was past the first few chapters, I couldn't put it down. The cast of characters are so random think gnomes, midgets, etc. The plot moves very fast and doesn't let up till the very end. Bray did such a good job of making the characters so realistic, that you really feel for them and the plot is so over the top, that it's completely believable. My only complaint was even though foreshadowing played a huge part and you could guess how it would probably end, it still came as a shock and I was kind of disappointed. That being said, if I feel that strongly about what happens to the characters and it makes me think like it did, then the author did an awesome job and I don't think it would have had the same impact if it had ended any other way. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would probably be careful about recommending it to kids under 14, due to cursing, drug use, sex and drinking. If you like a book that covers just about every genre of fiction and topic that teens face, this book is for you.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Demon's Lexicon- Sarah Rees Brennan
This is the first book by Sarah Rees Brennan and is considered Book 1 in “The Demon’s Lexicon” series. Though it wasn't the best book I've ever read I would still pick up the next one in the series. It's basically a fantasy book about good vs. evil, with demons and magicians who live among humans. Nick Ryves and his brother Alan are being hunted by a specific group of magicians, who are after their mother because of something she stole many years ago. Along there journey they meet Mae and Jamie, who have questions about a mark that Jamie received from a demon. In the course of their hunt things come to light for the Ryves brothers. Overall, there is a lot of action, including battles between Nick and the magicians, calling demons through dance, etc. Combine this with the plot twists, and I know why this was one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2010. Mrs. Brennan did a good job at keeping the story moving along until the very end, which I personally didn't see coming. I would recommend this book to reluctant readers of the male persuasion!
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