Review: Elijah of Buxton, Module One, Intro to Children and their Literature

Curtis, Christopher Paul. ELIJAH OF BUXTON. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439023443

This is the historical fiction story of Elijah, the first free black child born in the city of Buxton, Canada. Elijah is a young, smart boy who works hard at school and at his chores. He enjoys doing things which boys enjoy such as fishing. As the story progresses Elijah learns that life is not so simple and good for all black people. He learns how dear freedom is and the tremendous price people are willing to pay to be free. This story will inform readers about this horrible, shameful period from our history. When Elijah comes across a group of captured black slaves readers will learn just how desperate the situation was. It is a very hard lesson to realize that there was absolutely no hope for these people to escape. It is also an extreme lesson to realize what a mother must do to help her daughter escape from slavery. The dialogue and setting in this story bring the reader back to this time. Children will relate to Elijah and his antics, scaring his mom with a toady frog and wanting to learn about family breeding contests, and will become moved as he learns from experience what freedom really means.

Review: The Wall, Module One, Intro to Children and their Literature

Sis, Peter. 2007. THE WALL. New York: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 9780374347017

This is the story of Peter Sis. Peter Sis grew up in Communist Czechoslovakia in the mid 1900’s. This is the story of a boy growing into his teen years who wanted to explore his personality but because of his surroundings, he was stifled. This book will make adolescents aware that many things which we take for granted are not always come by easily for everyone. In Communist Czechoslovakia many things which Americans consider basic rights are forbidden. People have to think carefully about the consequences of their actions. People are watched and only allowed to see what the government wishes them to see. Teenagers find out about current trends, such as rock and roll, but have a difficult time enjoying it due to “no records, no instruments, no stylish clothes. We have to make and invent everything. We all want to be Beatles”. The illustrations are very complementary to the story. Many of the drawings are drawn in black, white, and red. These colors bring out the sternness of the government and the seriousness of the times. In other places color and whimsy are used to portray the dreams and desires of a growing boy. This is a story which gives an awareness of different peoples in different governments. It makes us appreciate what may be easily taken for granted.

Review: THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT, Module One, Intro to Children and their Literature

Potter, Beatrix. 2001. THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. Ill. By Michael Hague. New York: SeaStar Books. ISBN 1587170523.

This is the classic tale of a little rabbit that disobeys his mother. He wanders into Mr. McGregor’s garden. He is almost caught and narrowly escapes a terrible fate which befell his father, being put into a pie. Children will enjoy this tale of Peter who does exactly the opposite of what his mother asks and wanders off on his own mischievous adventure. Peter begins this adventure pleasantly with a tasty snack but things soon turn bleak when Mr. McGregor discovers Peter and the race is on. Children will worry and cheer as Peter narrowly escapes Mr. McGregor more than once. The story ends with Peter getting medicine and an early bedtime as a consequence of his adventure.His siblings, who didn’t break any rules, receive a treat. This tale will remind children that you receive what you deserve. This version of THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT, illustrated by Michael Hague, is large and colorful. The pictures are full of detail and life. The animals are soft and realistic. Children will find much to look at and discuss as they read this version.

Review: LIBRARY LION, Module One, Intro to Children and their Literature

Knudsen, Michelle. 2006. LIBRARY LION. Ill. By Kevin Hawkes. Cambridge, MA: Caldlewick Press. ISBN 9780763622626.

This is the story of a lion who wanders into the library. His presence is larger than life and the patrons are not sure what to think about this lion. It is decided that the lion should be allowed to stay as he is not breaking any rules. The lion shows up day after day and begins to become a very helpful fixture at the library. This story gives the message that everyone is valuable and should be accepted, regardless of their appearance. People are skeptical of the lion at first but soon wonder how “they ever got along without him.” The lion looks ominous because of his size but he quickly proves his worth, he learns to follow the rules and is very helpful. He dusts encyclopedias, licks envelopes, and helps small children reach books. The lion becomes the model of a perfect library patron. The illustrations compliment the story very nicely. They are colorful and full of detail. The lion is very larger but his features are gentle. The patrons are illustrated with great facial expression and feeling. The patrons are also portrayed as individuals from different cultures. The story ends when the lion breaks a rule for a very good reason. This story teaches us that there are exceptions to the rules.

Review: THE GIVER, Genre 6, Fiction, Fantasy, and YA

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lowry, Lois. 1993. THE GIVER. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395645662 2. PLOT SUMMARY This modern fantasy novel is about a young boy named Jonas. Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect world. Everyone is happy and well cared for. They are trained for the perfect job and matched to the perfect mate and two child family. At the age of twelve Jonas begins training for the profession which was chosen for him, the keeper of records. It is at this point when Jonas begins to question the society in which he lives. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Characterization The main character in this book is Jonas, a young boy who is about to turn twelve. He is introduced through the narration of the story. He seems mature for a twelve year old boy but the society in which he lives is very structured. This structure has helped to mold his personality. His is serious about his responsibilities. He follows the rules and procedures of his community. “Jonas rode at a leisurely pace, glancing at the bikeports beside the buildings to see if he could spot Asher’s. He didn’t often do his volunteer hours with his friend because Asher frequently fooled around and made serious work a little difficult.” Jonas is a serious boy and follows the rules most all of the time. He is not perfect; he did mess up at least once. “It had happened during the recreation period, when he had been playing with Asher. Jonas had casually picked up an apple from the basket where the snacks were kept…he had taken the apple home…he remembered with humiliation, that the announcement ATTENTION. THIS IS A REMINDER TO MALE ELEVENS THAT OBJECTS ARE NOT TO BE REMOVED FROM THE RECREATION AREA AND THAT SNACKS ARE TO BE EATEN, NOT HOARDED had been specifically directed at him…no one had mentioned it, not even his parents, because the public announcement had been sufficient to produce the appropriate remorse. He had, of course, disposed of the apple and made his apology to the Recreation Director the next morning, before school.” Jonas evolves through the story from a boy who follows directions without question to a person who thinks and acts for himself. Through his training to become the next “Receiver” he begins to question his “perfect society” and to act on his new beliefs. Plot This is the story of Jonas who lives in a “perfect” society. There is no poverty or crime and every one and thing is cared for by the community. Children are born, given into a family at the age of one. Each family is matched to be with each other and includes a mother, father, and two children. Each year children move up a step and are given a new item such as “the identifying jacket that she would wear this year, this one with smaller buttons and, for the first time, pockets, indicating that she was mature enough to keep track of her own small belongings. At the age of nine children are given their bicycles which will be their only mode of transportation into their adult lives. At the age of 12 they begin their training for their adult responsibility, their job, which has been chosen for them by the elders. “This is the time when we acknowledge differences. You Elevens have spent all your years till now learning to fit in, to standardize your behavior, to curb any impulse that might set you apart from the group. But today we honor your differences. They have determined your futures.” Jonas is selected to be trained as the next Receiver of Memory. This is a unique and highly respected assignment. There is only one Receiver. Jonas was chosen because he possessed the required traits, intelligence, integrity, and courage. The fourth quality, which is wisdom, will be acquired through the training. Jonas does acquire wisdom. As he proceeds with his training he begins to see that his utopian society is not so perfect and that something must be done to call attention to this fact. Setting The main setting for this story is confining. The characters stay in their community. Their movements and experiences are restricted. In the beginning a plane flies over the community and “Then all of the citizens had been ordered to go into the nearest building and stay there. IMMEDIATELY, the rasping voice through the speakers had said. LEAVE YOUR BICYCLES WHERE THEY ARE.” They are not allowed to have the experience of seeing a plane fly and their only mode of transportation is a bicycle. The community is beautiful. It is meticulously cared for by its members. Every member has his assignment and they carry it out to perfection. There are no choices. Every member has his place and each knows what specifically to do in all aspects of life. Theme The theme in this story is that life should not be predictable. People need to be free to have their individual experiences. They need to experience life, to find joy in their accomplishments and learn from their own mistakes. This theme is relevant to young adults. It will help them to look at their own lives, to make them more appreciative and see the good in their lives. Style The book begins in a very upbeat manner but soon it becomes apparent that all is not fine. Things seem just a little bit strange. One example is when citizens are “released”. A releasing begins with “the telling of his life. That is always first. Then the toast. We all raised our glasses and cheered. We chanted the anthem. He made a lovely good-by speech. And several of us made little speeches wishing him well. I didn’t though. I’ve never been fond of public speaking. He was thrilled. You should have seen the look on his face when they let him go.’ Jonas slowed the strokes of his hand on her back thoughtfully. ‘Larissa’, he asked, ‘what happens when they make the actual release? Where exactly did Roberto go?’ She lifted her bare wet shoulders in a small shrug. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think anybody does, except the committee. He just bowed to all of us and then walked, like they all do, through the special door in the Releasing Room.” Readers will want to press on to find the secrets of the community. The ending, in which Jonas escapes his society with young Gabriel, to find an unknown but hopefully better life, is especially exciting but it is up to the reader to imagine how the story truely ends. 4. REVIEW EXCERPTS AND AWARDS 1994 Newbery Medal winner School Library Journal – “The author makes real abstract concepts, such as the meaning of a life in which there are virtually no choices to be made and no experiences with deep feelings. This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time.” Kirkus Reviews – “A richly provocative novel” The New York Times - "A powerful and provocative novel.” Publishers Weekly - Lowry is once again in top form--raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers. 5. CONNECTIONS *Another Newbery Medal award winning book by Lois Lowry: NUMBER THE STARS, ISBN 0440227534 *Other popular books by Lois Lowry include the Anastasia Krupnik series books; they begin with ANASTASIS KRUPNIK, ISBN 0395286298 and THE MESSINGER, ISBN # 0440239125.

Review: THE FIRST PART LAST, Genre 6, Fiction, Fantasy, and YA

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689849222 2. PLOT SUMMARY This is the story of a young adolescent boy who becomes a father at the age of sixteen. He considers his options and decides to keep and raise his daughter. He does have some help from his family but he is mostly on his own. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Characterization The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Bobby. He is revealed through his thoughts and actions. In the beginning of the story he is a typical sixteen year old boy. For his birthday he “skipped school with my running buddies, K-Boy and J.L., and went to Mineo’s for a couple of slices. Hit a matinee and threw as much popcorn at each other as we ate. Then went to the top of the Empire State Building ‘cause I never had before.” Later that night bobby’s girlfriend informs him that she is pregnant and his life changes forever. In this story he is quite responsible. He lives with his parents, but he assumes all care for his daughter, Feather. He wakes with her at night to feed and change her. He takes a long subway ride each day before school in order to drop his daughter off at the daycare in which he attended as an infant and child. He is very responsible, but he is not perfect. One morning is particularly stressful. He is running late and Feather “pukes” on him. Bobby decides that he can not handle the subway on this day and ends up taking his daughter to the downstairs neighbor. This gives him extra time and he uses it to “do some tagging”. He gets caught up in his art, looses track of time, and ends up getting arrested a half day later. The cover of this novel depicts a young black man as Bobby in this story. There is no stereotyping. He is portrayed as an educated, middle class boy. His father owns a restaurant and his mother is a photographer. In the beginning he is a boy who does boyish things. By the end of the story he has matured and is a capable father to his daughter. Plot This is a very moving and interesting story. It is amazing the way in which sixteen year old Bobby cares for his baby. He is gentle, “I lay her on my stomach and breathed her in. My daughter is eleven days old. And that sweet baby smell, the smell of baby shampoo, formula, and my mom’s perfume. It made me cry like I hadn’t since I was a little kid. The story moves from “then” to “now”. The “then” sections tell of the months leading up to the birth of Feather. They focus on Bobby and his girlfriend, Nia, telling family and friends of the pregnancy. Visits to the obstetrician and to a social worker to discuss adoption are also focused on. At one point it seems that the choice for the unborn baby is going to be adoption. “Nia cried. I cried. My dad cried. But we were the only ones. My mom and Nia’s parents looked like they just got released from Oz, and not the one with the yellow brick road. I think Nia’s dad took his first real breath since the first time he found out she was having a baby.” The “now” sections mainly focus on Bobby’s care of his daughter Feather. The mother, Nia, is mysteriously missing from the present. This mystery is solved in the end. The ending is both heart wrenching and fulfilling at the same time. It is both because Nia does not choose to be absent. Her absence is beyond her control. Setting The setting for this story is in the childhood home and neighborhood of the young father, Bobby. The baby and Bobby share childhood places and experiences which help to visualize the young age of Bobby. The pediatrician’s office is one example, “I hold my baby in a waiting room that I used to sit in, way before I had her. The nurse is the same one that has been smiling at me since my mom used to carry me in on her hip…I remember sitting here with Mary when I had a fever, needed to get stitches out, had to get a booster shot, fell into some poison ivy on vacation, and about a thousand other things that my pediatrician, Dr. Victor, took care of. Now I’m sharing her with my daughter ‘cause I can still technically have a kid doctor for myself, even if I’m now technically a parent.” Theme The theme of this realistic fiction novel is accepting responsibility and doing the right thing, whatever that may be. This novel will be very interesting to young adolescents. It will give them insight as to what true responsibility is and what must be sacrificed because of ones actions and choices. Style The style of this book helps the reader to really see and feel what Bobby is seeing and feeling. The story is told through his speech and thoughts. The reader is able to put him/her self into his shoes. The style enables the reader to be truly be moved by the circumstances. 4. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS The Michael Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature U.S. News and World Report –“Johnson has carved a niche writing realistically about young people's issues.”School Library Journal - starred review, “Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting.”Publishers Weekly - starred review, “Readers will only clamor for more.”Booklist – “Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again.” 5. CONNECTIONS *Read HANGING ON TO MAX, by Margaret Bechard, ISBN # 0340883707, for another novel about the struggles of a male teen parent. *Other books by Angela Johnson, the 2000 Corretta Scott King award – winning HEAVEN, ISBN # 0689822901, LOOKING FOR RED, # 0689863888, and BIRD, ISBN # 0142405442.

Review: HOLES, Genre 6, Fiction, Fantasy, and YA

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Sachar, Louis. 1998. HOLES. New York, NY: Dell Yearling. ISBN 0440419468 2. PLOT SUMMARY This is the story of a boy who is sent to a detention facility for a crime which he did not commit. At the facility the boys are punished by digging a five foot deep and five foot wide hole in the extreme heat each day. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Characterization In this novel the characters are revealed through the narration, in conversations, and by the thoughts of the character. The main character, Stanley, is believable. He is not all that strong in the beginning. “He didn’t have any friends at home. He was overweight and the kids at his middle school often teased him about his size. Even his teachers sometimes made cruel comments without realizing it.” Through out the story Stanley grows in character and strength. By the end of the novel Stanley is strong in mind and physical strength. “Higher and higher he climbed. His strength came from somewhere deep inside himself and also seemed to come from the outside as well.” The characters from this story come from several different ethnic backgrounds. There is no stereotyping; the boys all behave in a similar manner at the camp. They grow to depend on each other. The characters in this story are interesting and can be identified with. They are all very human and have strengths and weaknesses. The main character, Stanley Yelnats comes from a family with a long history of bad luck which stems from an old curse. The characters definitely grow in this story. Stanley is unworldly, weak and unpopular in the beginning. He develops into an intelligent and strong young man by the end of the story. Young Adults will be able to identify with Stanley and his imperfections and they will be encouraged as they see him grow in strength and character. Plot This story is about what happens to boys whom have gotten into trouble in society and what they go through as a consequence. In this case they are sent to Camp Green Lake and made to dig a daily five foot deep by five foot round hole into the hard ground in the hot sun. At first it seems that the purpose of digging the holes is only punishment but it soon becomes apparent that there is an additional reason why the warden has the boys digging these daily holes. In this book there is a secondary story which actually sets up the events for the present and primary story. The secondary story begins many years earlier and explains why Stanley and his family have habitual bad luck and the reason the warden wants the holes dug. This secondary story makes the primary story more believable. The story is interesting and there is action, especially when Stanley follows another boy who has escaped from the camp and flees into the barren desert to the far away mountains. They prove that perseverance and friendship can beat the odds and they come out on the top in the end. Setting The setting of the main story is in a huge dried up lake bed in a very hot and dry part of Texas. This setting helps to maximize the hard times which the boys at the camp are going through. The setting is established at the very beginning of the book. “There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest lake in Texas. That was over a hundred years ago. Now it is just a dry, flat wasteland.” There are only two trees to be found and the only other natural inhabitants are rattlesnakes, scorpions, and yellow-spotted lizards. “You don’t want to be bitten by a yellow spotted lizard. That’s the worst thing that can happen to you. You will die a slow and painful death.” Theme The theme in this story is good verses bad. Stanley uses courage and intelligence to outsmart the warden. Friendship is also an important theme in this story. The boys support each other, are able to get through the day and facilitate each others survival. At the end of the story Stanley actually risks his own life to ensure the safety of his friend. Stanley escapes the camp by attempting to steal a truck to find his friend Zero. Zero has been missing for four days in the tremendous heat. Stanley finds Zero and they use their wits and strength to make it back to camp where they solve the mystery. Style The writing in this novel is very realistic. The secondary story really makes the primary story more interesting and believable. The dialogue and characters are believable and appropriate to their ages. The action is interesting and fast paced. Young adults, especially boys, will identify with the situations and will enjoy reading this book. 4. REVIEW EXCERPTS Amazon.com - It's a strange story, but strangely compelling and lovely too. Publishers Weekly - PW's starred review of the 1999 Newbery Medal winner described it as a "dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism." From School Library Journal - Starred review, “A multitude of colorful characters coupled with the skillful braiding of ethnic folklore, American legend, and contemporary issues is a brilliant achievement. There is no question, kids will love Holes.”The New York Times Book Review – “Sachar inserts humor that gives the suspense steep edges; the tone is as full of surprises as the plot.” Parents Choice - A 1999 Parents' Choice® Recommendation. 5. CONNECTIONS *Related literature: STANLEY YELNATS SURVIVAL GUIDE TO CAMP GREENLAKE, ISBN # 0747563659. *Other books by Louis Sachar: THERE’S A BOY IN THE GIRLS BATHROOM, ISBN 0747552576, SMALL STEPS, ISBN 0385733143, DOGS DON’T TELL JOKES, ISBN # 0679833722, and THE BOY WHO HAD NO FACE, ISBN # 0394928636.