How to speak dolphin

How to speak dolphin / by Ginny Rorby.

Bibliographic Citation:

Rorby, G. (2015). How to speak dolphin. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary:

Lily is a twelve-year-old who lives with her stepdad, Don, and half-brother, Adam. Her mom died two years ago after being hit by a drunk driver. Since her mom’s death, her life has revolved around Adam who has severe autism. Her doctor stepdad, expects Lily to act as Adam’s surrogate mom, feeding him, bathing him and dealing with him when he has a meltdown. Lily is afraid of making friends and inviting them over because of Adam’s frequent outbursts and meltdowns. Also, because of Adam’s needs, they can’t seem to keep a nanny and Don won’t consider putting Adam in a specialized program. Eventually Suzanne comes into their lives as a caring and understanding nanny for Adam and speaks to Don about the need for Lily to be a kid.

Adam has an affinity for dolphins and squeaks and clicks like a dolphin using echolocation. When Don is called in to consult on Nori, a captive dolphin, following surgery for cancer, he thinks he has a way to help Adam. Zoe, a blind girl that Lily met in the park, disagrees with keeping Nori captive so she can help Adam when there is no proof that dolphin interaction is helpful to disabled children. Lily struggles with doing what’s right for Adam and siding with Zoe about doing what’s right for Nori. 

Eventually, Lily convinces Don to force Nori’s release and Suzanne convinces Don to get Adam into a specialized program. By the end of the book, things are looking up for Lily and Adam both.

Impressions:

This story highlights the struggle of being the sibling of a disabled child. Lily loves her brother, but doesn’t want so much responsibility in taking care of him. Her situation clouds her love for Adam and you can see her leaning towards resentment of both him and her stepdad because she isn’t given a choice. At the same time, Lily struggles with the loss of her mom.

Also highlighted in this story is the struggle to understand and do what is right for everyone. Don struggles with admitting that his son needs more help than he and Lily can provide. Lily struggles with doing what is right and helpful for Adam and what is right for Nori the dolphin. With the help of Zoe and Suzanne, Lily and Don make some hard choices that ultimately bring them closer together as a family and do what’s best for all.

Reviews:

Is dolphin-assisted therapy so beneficial to patients that it’s worth keeping a wild dolphin captive?

Twelve-year-old Lily has lived with her emotionally distant oncologist stepfather and a succession of nannies since her mother died in a car accident two years ago. Nannies leave because of the difficulty of caring for Adam, Lily’s severely autistic 4-year-old half brother. The newest, Suzanne, seems promising, but Lily is tired of feeling like a planet orbiting the sun Adam. When she meets blind Zoe, who will attend the same private middle school as Lily in the fall, Lily’s happy to have a friend. However, Zoe’s take on the plight of the captive dolphin, Nori, used in Adam’s therapy opens Lily’s eyes. She knows she must use her influence over her stepfather, who is consulting on Nori’s treatment for cancer (caused by an oil spill), to free the animal. Lily’s got several fine lines to walk, as she works to hold onto her new friend, convince her stepfather of the rightness of releasing Nori, and do what’s best for Adam. In her newest exploration of animal-human relationships, Rorby’s lonely, mature heroine faces tough but realistic situations. Siblings of children on the spectrum will identify with Lily. If the tale flirts with sentimentality and some of the characters are strident in their views, the whole never feels maudlin or didactic.

Dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals. (Fiction. 10-13)

(2015, March 1). [Review of How to speak dolphin]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ginny-rorby/how-to-speak-dolphin/

Dory Fantasmagory

Dory Fantasmagory / by Abby Hanlon.

Bibliographic Citation:

Hanlon, A. (2014). Dory Fantasmagory. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Summary:

Dory, nicknamed Rascal by her family, is a precocious and imaginative six-year-old. She longs to play with her older brother and sister, Luke and Violet, but they want nothing to do with the “baby” of the family. And so, left to play alone, Rascal’s imagination runs wild. She plays with her best friend, Mary Monster, and asks all kinds of questions like “Why do we have armpits”. Luke and Violet desperately want Rascal to stop acting like a baby, so they invent Mrs. Gobble Gracker, a witch who steals babies, in hopes that she will be scared into “growing up”. However, Mrs. Gobble Gracker becomes another part of Rascal’s imaginary world (she thinks) and Rascal is determined to defeat this new villain. With the help of her fairy godmother, Mr. Nuggy, who turns her into a dog, she is able to escape Mrs. Gobble Gracker’s notice for a while and finds that Luke has always wanted a dog and will now play with her. Rascal eventually succeeds in getting rid of Mrs. Gobble Gracker and landing in the good graces of her siblings after fishing a rainbow bouncy ball out of the toilet.

Impressions:

I highly recommend this book to young readers and their parents. This story could represent that of every younger sibling who yearns to play with older siblings. Hanlon does an excellent job portraying the desire of inclusion a younger sibling holds and the imagination world he or she delves into when that desire does not come to fruition. Older brothers and sisters can be so cruel in their teasing and ignoring, something Rascal deals with by imagining.

Dory Fantasmagory is perfectly written for the young reader merging into reading chapter books but still needing pictures to help visualize the author’s meaning. Hanlon, a former teacher, used her students’ drawings as inspiration and created pictures that look like the drawings of a child. The child-like appearance of the illustrations will appeal to young readers making them believe they too could draw such imaginings.

Journal Review:

With words, pictures and pictures with words, 6-year-old Dory, called Rascal, recounts how she finally gets her older brother and sister to play with her.

Rascal’s siblings complain that she’s always pestering them. She acts like a baby, she asks weird questions, and she chatters endlessly with her imaginary monster friend. So they tell her a kidnapping witch, Mrs. Gobble Gracker, is looking for her. In her efforts to avoid capture, Rascal becomes a dog. As a “dog,” she’s invisible to the little-girl–stealer but appealing to her older brother, who, it turns out, always wanted to have a dog. She maintains her dogginess all the way through a doctor’s checkup until a surprise vaccination spurs her to speech and retaliation. Rascal and her invented fairy godmother, Mr. Nuggy (he doesn’t look much like a fairy godmother), use the ensuing timeout to concoct poison soup for the witch. Eventually, the witch is vanquished and order more or less restored. Redeemed in the eyes of her siblings because she’s brave enough to retrieve a bouncy ball from the toilet as well as wildly imaginative, Rascal finally gets her wish. Often just on the edge of out of control, this inventive child is irresistible and her voice, convincing. Childlike drawings, often embellished with hand-lettered narrative or speech bubbles, of round-headed humans, Sendak-ian monsters and a snaggle-toothed witch add to the humor.

Charming, funny and true to life. (Fiction. 6-9)

(2014, September 1). [Review of Dory Fantasmagory]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/abby-hanlon/dory-fantasmagory/. 

Module 15 Review - l8r, g8r

l8r, g8r / by Lauren Myracle.

Bibliographic Citation:

Myracle, L. (2007). L8r, g8r. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Summary:

Maddie, Angela and Zoe, the winsome threesome, have been friends for years and they are finally seniors. High school has been challenging for these three girls. They have dealt with boyfriends, too-flirty teachers, gossiping, pranks and the like. (For their earlier stories, read ttyl and ttfn.) As their senior year is coming to a close, they continue to do battle with their arch enemy, Jana, have to make decisions about boys and college, and struggle with the fact that they won’t be right there for each other anymore.

In this book, l8r, g8r, Zoe makes a comment in the girls’ bathroom that causes Jana to strike back. Zoe, being so wrapped up in her boyfriend Doug and planning to have sex for the first time, doesn’t let Jana’s strike faze her much, but Angela and Maddie take up the cause. This leads to a back and forth between the winsome threesome and Jana. Maddie gets back together with her ex-boyfriend, making it perfectly clear that she won’t give up her dream school for him, no matter how much she cares for him. And Angela has trouble breaking up with a boy that she doesn’t love, but who loves her and gives her a Jeep for Valentine’s Day. When she is finally true to her feelings, she finds out that he hooked up with the loathsome Jana before their breakup, sending her into a fit of anger and self-pity.

Through instant messaging, they relive the events of their daily lives, cheering each other on, challenging each other and being a voice of reason (somewhat).

Impressions:

This book, and the others in the series, play up the challenges teenage girls face in high school such as sticking by their friends, beating back against bullies and the popular crowd and falling in and out of love. While not every girl will experience every issue present, they will be able to appreciate them and the friendship between Maddie, Angela and Zoe.

Library Use Suggestions:

I would use this book with older students, possibly in a girls’ book club, to examine the strength of friendships and the adversity friendships face in various forms. Discuss why they are close to their friends, what challenges have they faced with their friends and whether they became closer or if it pulled them permanently apart. 

Reviews:

In this third book in the ttyl series, high schoolers Angela, Zoe, and Maddie instant message their way through senior year. Like an observer in a private chat room, readers are privy to the girls' all-out war with archrival Jana, mixed feelings about their boyfriends, and hopes for college. The superficial chatter quickly becomes tiresome, and there's not much here beyond the IM gimmick.

(2007, January 1). [Review of l8r, g8r]. The Horn Book Guide. Retrieved from http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-1103792.xml

The "Winsome Threesome" are back for their senior year, and boy, do they have a lot to talk about! This third and final installment about Maddie, Zoe, and Angela takes the girls in new directions, and, with Jana (the series' antagonist) back with a vengeance, they are struggling to retain their "bff" status. Rife with the daily drama of modern-day high school, the book's appeal is widespread. As before, the story is told through a series of instant-message and chat-room conversations and is written entirely in that "language," which also adds to its appeal. Suddenly, 200-plus pages don't seem like a lot, and reluctant readers gain a sense of achievement having breezed through what appears to be quite a lengthy novel. Be aware that as these teens mature, so does the book's content. Reading the first two titles helps with understanding references to past events but is not necessary to enjoy this one. Well written, thoughtful, and well developed, this novel is the perfect conclusion for this series." Erika Kwasnik, Norwich High School Library, NY" Copyright 2007 Media Source Inc.

Kwasnik, E. (2007, June 1). [Review of l8r, g8r]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-1103792.xml The "Winsome Threesome" are back for their senior year, and boy, do they have a lot to talk about! This third and final installment about Maddie, Zoe, and Angela takes the girls in new directions, and, with Jana (the series' antagonist) back with a vengeance, they are struggling to retain their "bff" status. Rife with the daily drama of modern-day high school, the book's appeal is widespread. As before, the story is told through a series of instant-message and chat-room conversations and is written entirely in that "language," which also adds to its appeal. Suddenly, 200-plus pages don't seem like a lot, and reluctant readers gain a sense of achievement having breezed through what appears to be quite a lengthy novel. Be aware that as these teens mature, so does the book's content. Reading the first two titles helps with understanding references to past events but is not necessary to enjoy this one. Well written, thoughtful, and well developed, this novel is the perfect conclusion for this series."Erika Kwasnik, Norwich High School Library, NY" Copyright 2007 Media Source Inc.In this third book in the ttyl series, high schoolers Angela, Zoe, and Maddie instant message their way through senior year. Like an observer in a private chat room, readers are privy to the girls' all-out war with archrival Jana, mixed feelings about their boyfriends, and hopes for college. The superficial chatter quickly becomes tiresome, and there's not much here beyond the IM gimmickIn this third book in the ttyl series, high schoolers Angela, Zoe, and Maddie instant message their way through senior year. Like an observer in a private chat room, readers are privy to the girls' all-out war with archrival Jana, mixed feelings about their boyfriends, and hopes for college. The superficial chatter quickly becomes tiresome, and there's not much here beyond the IM gimmick

Module 14 Review - Odette's Secrets

Odette's secrets / by Maryann MacDonald.

Bibliographic Citation:

MacDonald, M. (2013). Odette’s secrets. New York, NY: Bloomsbury

Summary:

Odette was a young French Jew living in Paris during the German Nazi occupation of France and World War II. She and her family were not religious, but her grandparents were Polish Jews. Odette lived with her mother and father in a little two room apartment in a building managed by non-Jews Madame Marie and Monsieur Henri. Marie and Henri care for Odette as godparents and she spends a lot of time with them.

When the German Nazis begin invading France, Odette’s father joins the Resistance and leaves home to fight. He is soon captured and placed in a war camp. Odette and her mother continue living in Paris as the German occupation strengthens. After German soldiers come looking for Odette and her mother, who escape by hiding in Madame Marie’s closet, Odette is sent to live with a family in the country. She is told to lie about who she is, so she changes her last name, learns Catholic prayers so she will blend in. Her mother eventually joins her and while accused of being Jewish, they live undiscovered in the vendee until the French liberation.

While her family is not religious, Odette finds herself drawn to the rituals of the Catholic Church that she participates in during her hiding. When she and her mother return to Paris, she struggles with returning to her old life and questions who she really is. After attending a ceremony to bury the ashes of Jewish victims of death camps, she accepts herself as a Jew.

Impressions:

This story is about a young girl struggling to find herself during a very difficult time. Unlike The Diary of Anne Frank, another young girl who lived (and died) during WWII, Odette’s story doesn’t end in death. While Odette’s Secrets takes place during World War II and there are details describing how Jews were treated, this is a less graphic read, making it a good introduction to a terrible time in history.

Library Use Suggestions:

I would introduce this book to students studying World War II. I would present it and The Diary of Anne Frank as differing personal accounts, not in the actions of the Nazis, but as two young girls viewing the same war from different places with different results.

Reviews:

Introspective and accessible, this fictionalized history of a Jewish child surviving the Nazi occupation of France uses an elegant simplicity of language.

Odette, quite young, lives comfortably in a Paris apartment “on a cobblestone square / with a splashing fountain.” Watching a newsreel, she sees “soldiers march, / their legs and arms straight as sticks. / A funny-looking man with a mustache / shouts a speech.” The next day, she sees a Jewish-owned store with smashed windows. Mama and Papa are secular, but “[w]e are Polish Jews because / Mama’s and Papa’s parents and grandparents / in faraway Poland / are all Jews.” Papa joins the French army and is taken prisoner; yellow stars are assigned; Mama sends Odette out of Paris. For 2 1/2 years, Odette practices Catholicism in one village and then another, growing attached to religious ritual and the countryside. Macdonald’s free verse uses unadorned images: a blanket from Odette’s devoted (Christian) godmother; schoolchildren pounding out “La Marseillaise” on desks with their fists to drown out rowdy German soldiers; those same children rolling Odette in a thorn bush when they suspect her secret. Odette’s first-person voice matures subtly as she grows in age and in comprehension of the war’s horrors.

Based on the real Odette Meyers (nee Melspajz), this thoughtful, affecting piece makes an ideal 
Holocaust introduction for readers unready for death-camp scenes.

(2013, January 1). [Review of Odette’s Secrets]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maryann-macdonald/odettes-secrets/

Module 13 Review - Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck / by Brian Selznick.

Bibliographic Citation:

Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary:

Brian is a partially deaf 12 year old boy who lives at Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. Rose is a fully deaf young girl living in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1927, and is fascinated with the silent film actress Lillian Mayhew. Brian’s story is told in words, while Rose’s story is told in pictures.

Brian, after recently losing his mother in an accident, becomes increasingly curious about who his father is. After searching his mom’s bedroom, he finds a book called Wonderstruck in one of her dresser drawers. Inside the book, he finds a note that says for Danny Love, M. Inside the book is a bookmark advertising a bookstore in New York City with a note for Elaine (his mom) from Danny (the owner of the book). He also finds a silver locket with a picture of a man that looks like him and on the back is the name Daniel. Ben decides to call but as he is calling, lightning strikes the house traveling through the phone and causing him to go deaf in his good ear. After he spends time in the hospital, he decides to skip out and head to New York City in search of his dad.

Through the pictures, we see that Rose in unhappy where she is and she sneaks out to go to the cinema to see a film starring Lillian Mayhew. We see Rose cut up a book about teaching the deaf to lip-read and speak. She turns the pages of the book into buildings. She cuts out a newspaper clipping about Lillian Mayhew and adds it to a thick scrapbook with other information and memorabilia of Mayhew. We see her pack a suitcase including her scrapbook, art supplies, books, a guide to New York and a postcard from Walter and she leaves home. Rose goes to the stage where Lillian Mayhew is performing and we find out that Lillian Mayhew is her mother. When Mayhew tries to lock Rose in a dressing room in order to send her back home, Rose sneaks out a window to go find Walter.

Both Ben and Rose, in their different times, end up at the American Museum of Natural History. Once both characters are in New York City, their story slowly comes together and they find the hope and love they have been longing for.

Impressions:

The back and forth between the black and white pictures telling one story to the text telling another seem to go together but not really. The stories of the two characters, Ben and Rose, are oddly similar, causing the reader to question whether the Selznick accidently drew a girl in the pictures while writing about a boy. Eventually, an understanding of the pictures and their significance is met, bringing the two stories together and intermingling them more than was first imagined. Together they tell a beautiful story of sadness, love, longing and hope.

Library Use Suggestions:

Read aloud portions of the book involving Ben and show pictures of Rose that relate to Ben’s story. What are similarities and difference between Ben and Rose?

Discuss deafness and how deaf people communicate – reading lips and sign language. 

Reviews:

Brian Selznick didn't have to do it.

He didn't have to return to the groundbreaking pictures-and-text format that stunned the children's-book world in 2007 and won him an unlikely—though entirely deserved—Caldecott medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Weighing in at about two pounds, the 500-plus page tome combined textual and visual storytelling in a way no one had quite seen before.

In a world where the new becomes old in the blink of an eye, Selznick could have honorably rested on his laurels and returned to the standard 32-to-48–page picture-book format he has already mastered. He didn't have to try to top himself.

But he has.

If Hugo Cabret was a risky experiment that succeeded beyond Selznick and publisher Scholastic’s wildest dreams (well, maybe not Scholastic’s—they dream big), his follow-up, Wonderstruck, is a far riskier enterprise. In replicating the storytelling format of Hugo, Selznick begs comparisons that could easily find Wonderstruck wanting or just seem stale.

Like its predecessor, this self-described "novel in words and pictures" opens with a cinematic, multi-page, wordless black-and-white sequence: Two wolves lope through a wooded landscape, the illustrator's "camera" zooming in to the eye of one till readers are lost in its pupil. The scene changes abruptly, to Gunflint Lake, Minn., in 1977. Prose describes how Ben Wilson, age 12, wakes from a nightmare about wolves. He's three months an orphan, living with his aunt and cousins after his mother's death in an automobile accident; he never knew his father. Then the scene cuts again, to Hoboken in 1927. A sequence of Selznick's now-trademark densely crosshatched black-and-white drawings introduces readers to a girl, clearly lonely, who lives in an attic room that looks out at New York City and that is filled with movie-star memorabilia and models—scads of them—of the skyscrapers of New York.

Readers know that the two stories will converge, but Selznick keeps them guessing, cutting back and forth with expert precision. Both children leave their unhappy homes and head to New York City, Ben hoping to find his father and the girl also in search of family. The girl, readers learn, is deaf; her silent world is brilliantly evoked in wordless sequences, while Ben’s story unfolds in prose. Both stories are equally immersive and impeccably paced.

The two threads come together at the American Museum of Natural History, Selznick's words and pictures communicating total exhilaration (and conscious homage to The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). Hugo brought the bygone excitement of silent movies to children; Wonderstruck shows them the thrilling possibilities of museums in a way Night at the Museum doesn't even bother to.

Visually stunning, completely compelling, Wonderstruck demonstrates a mastery and maturity that proves that, yes, lightning can strike twice.

(2011, July 1). [Review of Wonderstruck]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brian-selznick/wonderstruck/

Module 12 Review - Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage: A gruesome but true story about brain science / by John Fleischman.

Bibliographic Citation:

Fleischman, J. (2002). Phineas Gage: A gruesome but true story about brain science. Boston, MA: Harcourt Mifflin Company.

Summary:

Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman for the Rutland & Burlington Railroad in Cavendish, Vermont in 1848. He was in charge of blasting through rock with a gunpowder explosive so that the other workers could pick their way through the mountain and railroad tracks could be laid.

On September 13, 1848, Gage was preparing to set off a blast when it is thought that his tamping iron struck the rock and caused a spark leading to the ignition and explosion of the gunpowder. When the explosion happened, Gage’s tamping iron pierced his left cheek and entirely exited through the frontal lobe of his brain. Amazingly, Gage was stunned but still able to walk and talk even though he had a gaping hole in his head and his brain was exposed.

He received medical treatment and made a full physical recovery. Unfortunately, the injury to his brain caused changes to his personality and adeptness in social situations. His doctor took him to Boston to be studied by others in the emerging field of brain science. He was the first live specimen these doctors had to examine following a traumatic brain injury and they were fascinated by his recovery and changes to his demeanor.

Phineas Gage lived another eleven years after his accident. Even though he has been dead for more than 150 years, he has continued to impact the field of science. His skull and tamping iron remain on display at Harvard University.

Impressions:

The detail provided about Phineas Gage and his accident are very interesting. He was a very lucky man to have survived such a traumatic accident, and even though his personality and sociability were impacted, he was physically fine.

The medical background on the study of brain science is also interesting, but a little dense for any person not particularly interested in the medical field. This young adult biography would be an excellent resource for students completing a project on brain science and its history or for students interested in the medical field.

Library Use Suggestions:

I would present this book as a research option for biology or anatomy classes at the high school level. I would also recommend it to students interested in the medical profession.

Reviews:

Gruesome indeed: in 1848, an explosion blew a 13-pound iron rod through railroad worker Gage’s head. Not only did he survive, he never even lost consciousness, going on to become a medical marvel and to live almost another dozen years. Was Gage lucky, or just the opposite? Carefully separating fact from legend, Fleischman traces Gage’s subsequent travels and subtle but profound personality changes, then lets readers decide. Writing in present tense, which sometimes adds immediacy, other times just comes across as artificial, Fleischman fleshes out the tale with looks at mid-19th-century medicine, the history of brain science, and how modern researchers have reconstructed Gage’s accident with high-tech tools. He also adds eye-widening photos of Gage’s actual skull (now at Harvard), his life mask, and dramatic rod-through-bone computer images that, as the author writes, will make you wince “whether you’re a brain surgeon or a sixth grader.” Readers compelled to know more—and that should be just about everyone—will find a helpful, annotated list of print and electronic sources at the end of this riveting (so to speak) study.

(2002, February 15). [Review of Phineas Gage: A gruesome but true story about brain science]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-fleischman/phineas-gage/

Module 11 Review - The Nazi Hunters

The Nazi hunters / by Neal Bascomb.

Bibliographic Citation:

Bascomb, N. (2013). The Nazi hunters: How a team of spies and survivors captured the world’s most notorious Nazi. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Summary:

Adolf Eichmann was an important player in the Nazi regime as the Nazi commander who removed Jews from their homes and sent them to concentration camps during WWII. Many see him as responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. After the war was over, Eichmann changed his name and moved around  before settling in Buenos Aires, Argentina under the name Ricardo Klement, later sending for his family to join him.

Back in Germany, Austria and Israel, men were searching for, apprehending and prosecuting Nazi war criminals for the genocide of Jews. Eichmann’s high ranking position and role placed him high on the list of war criminals being searched for. It took many years and the help of a young girl that one of Eichmann’s sons dated in Argentina and her father.

Israel’s director of Mossad took over the logistics of searching for Eichmann and the delicate undercover operation of capturing him and returning him to Israel to stand trial. It took many players, numerous name changes and lots of strategic planning to obtain their goal.

Impressions:

The author notes that he took some liberty with the story because he received conflicting information in his interviews. He took the information he received and pieced it together as best he could and 

improvised slightly to fill in gaps.

This novel reads as a spy story, but the basic structure of the story is based in fact. The details of keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering if the plan will meet with success or if they will be caught and punished.

Library Use Suggestions:

I would use this for middle school or high school students. This would be an excellent resource for a student studying WWII or the after-effects of the war on both the German and Jewish people.

After an introduction to the book have students discuss and reflect why the spies and survivors hunted Eichmann down and would they have supported the efforts?

Reviews:

Adolf Eichmann was among the Gestapo war criminals who managed to escape from Europe and establish new lives in Argentina. The search for him involved an international group of Nazi hunters who left no stone unturned to determine where and how he had fled, find him and bring him to justice.

The trail of the man, an exacting scheduler who oversaw the transportation of Jews to the concentration camps, went cold until one small clue led to another. He was finally traced to Argentina, captured and secretly removed to Israel for a public trial. Meticulously detailed plans with timing down to the minute involving several Israeli secret services, intelligence networks, other civilian and governmental agencies, and dedicated individuals brought him to justice. Drawing on a wealth of sources that include original interviews, Bascomb swiftly establishes background, introduces readers to the key players and takes them through the search. At any moment in the hunt something might have gone wrong, with those involved being captured as spies and allowing Eichmann to escape. Tension rises from the pages, thanks to Bascomb’s command of pacing, judicious use of quoted material, inclusion of archival photographs and strong descriptions.
It’s nonfiction as thriller in its recounting of the actions of a midlevel, monstrous clerk and the work of a few dedicated people in delivering him to justice. (author’s note, bibliography, notes, index [not seen]) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

(2013, August 1). [Review of The Nazi hunters : How a team of spies and survivors captured the world’s most notorious Nazi]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/neal-bascomb/the-nazi-hunters/

Module 10 Review - Gingersnap

Gingersnap / by Patricia Reilly Giff

Bibliographic Citation:

Giff, P.R. (2013). Gingersnap. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Summary:

Gingersnap is a story about Jayna, a young red-headed girl that was orphaned when her parents were killed in a car accident. After many years in foster homes, her older brother Rob finally turns 18 and comes to take her home with him, to be a family again.

The story is set toward the end of WWII and after a year of being a family, Rob is sent off as a cook on a U.S. Navy destroyer. Before Rob leaves, he tells Jayna that he has a box of family stuff to show her when he returns. While he is gone, Jayna stays with Celine, their landlord. One day, Stuart, the man from the telegraph office, brings Jayna a telegraph that says the destroyer Rob was on was hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane and that Rob is missing. Jayna goes to their house to find the box with a recipe book and a picture. She packs her things and her pet turtle Theresa and follows the clues and ends up in Brooklyn at a Bakery with Elise. Jayna finally learns about her family and Elise, though not the grandmother Jayna thought her to be, was her grandmother’s best friend and takes Jayna in.

Jayna makes friends in Brooklyn, makes soup to sell in Elise’s bakery and eventually her brother Rob comes home to her.

Impressions:

This historical fiction novel takes the terrible realities of war such as destroyers being sunk of the coast of Okinawa, Japan by Japanese kamikaze bombers and the rationing of food staples such as sugar, eggs and meat and wraps it into a story with fictional characters. While Jayna, Rob, Elise and all the others are made up characters alongside a fictional situation, similar situations occurred as men and boys were killed or missing in action after destroyers and other naval vessels were sunk. Families at home struggled to survive the rationing and the uncertainty of whether their loved ones were coming home or not. Seventy years after the end of WWII, this book gives a slight insight into the lives and struggles of those at home waiting and hoping for their family members to return, along with the search for oneself, for family and identity.

Library Use Suggestions:

This book could be used to introduce/discuss the U.S. involvement in WWII and it’s interaction with Japan.

It can also be used to look at recipes and how food can be used as a comfort, the way Jayna used her soup. Discussion: when you are happy, upset or sick, what is a food that you want your mom or grandma to make for you?

Reviews:

Giff is one of few writers who can entwine an odd lot of characters, set them in Brooklyn during World War II, flavor the story with soup recipes, add a ghost and infuse the plot with a longing for family—and make it all believable.

When Jayna’s brother leaves for submarine duty, she’s left to stay with their cranky landlady (their parents died in a car accident). She remembers an old, blue recipe book inscribed with a name and address in Brooklyn and becomes convinced the woman in a photo standing in front of a bakery named Gingersnap (her nickname) is her grandmother. With her pet box turtle, Theresa, in a cat carrier and the recipe book in her suitcase, she takes a bus into New York City and the subway to Brooklyn. Through a series of misfortunes, she finds the bakery and its owner, Elise. Is Elise her grandmother? Will Rob return from the war? Who is the ghost wearing Jayna’s toenail polish with only her hands and feet visible, and can she connect with Rob? Will Theresa survive? Jayna’s eight tasty soup recipes befit the circumstances as they unfold: Don’t-Think-About-It Soup, Hope Soup, Waiting Soup and so forth. The author’s note to readers refers to her own childhood war memories, lending dimension to the characters and plot. Unfortunately, the cover image of a girl with a suitcase walking by brownstone houses won’t entice readers, though the story itself is riveting.

While the outcome is foreseeable, Jayna’s journey is a memorable one.

(2012, November 15). [Review of Gingersnap]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patricia-reilly-giff/gingersnap/

Assignment B - Book Trailers

The Humming Room



 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 Hatchet



Book trailer image references:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TT6g3tekDi4xX40kHm5MS_zHLrZRrkpP6ZXaVjs3PaU/edit?usp=sharing

Module 9 Review - The Humming Room

The humming room / by Ellen Potter.

Bibliographic Citation:

Potter, E. (2012). The humming room. New York, NY: Feiwell and Friends.

Summary:

After her dad and his girlfriend are murdered, Roo finds herself to be an orphan. After a time in foster care, she is shipped off to live with an uncle she didn’t know she had who lives in an old children’s hospital on a lonely island. Roo is given a room in the west wing of the house and told to stay out of the east wing. She doesn’t meet her uncle until the day after she arrives, but he shows very little interest in her.

Always a loner who never felt alone, in her new home with an uninterested uncle and staff that mostly leave her be, she finds herself lonely and beginning to hear eerie noises and humming coming from another room in the west wing. A teacher / caretaker is brought in to school Roo and follow her wherever she goes. In her search for a break, she finds a little hidey-hole under a rock and hides from her teacher for hours, falling asleep and waking up the next morning to find that her teacher had been fired for losing her.

Roo goes back to her exploring to determine the source of the humming and finds a hidden garden 

that is close to death. Roo decides she will save the garden and begins toting water up from the river. Jack, known as The Faigne because he lives on the river and comes and goes like a ghost, befriends her and offers to help her restore the garden.

One night, Roo wakes up to screaming and in her search for the source finds a boy, her cousin Phillip, who has been confined to his room since the death of his mother. Phillip is rich, spoiled and weak because of his self-confinement. When he doesn’t get his way, he responds by acting out. When he is calm, Roo spends time with him and finds that her uncle built the hidden garden for his wife, Phillip’s mother, and then destroyed it after she died. One day, Roo takes Phillip to see the garden, which he hadn’t seen since his mother died, and he began to feel a sense of peace. Roo’s uncle was upset when he found out that Roo had taken Phillip to the garden, but was amazed when he saw it flourishing again and that it was helping Phillip with his grief, the reason for his self-confinement.

Impressions:

Roo has been a loner with no real authority for a long time. When she gets to her uncle’s house, the staff is continually threatening to send her back to foster care because of her lack of obedience. The eerie noises beckon to Roo, begging her to find them and despite the warnings, she cannot stay away.

I think this book has the right amount of mystery/suspense and adventure to draw young readers in and keep them interested. While it does mention Roo's dad's drug use and the subsequent murders of him and his girlfriend, the detail is minimal. Roo is full of sass, grit and determination and the reader gets wrapped up in Roo's aloneness, her search for the eerie noises, and her desire for human/familial connection. 

Library Use Suggestions:

Read aloud parts of the book such as when Roo is searching for the humming and have students make predictions about what is causing the humming. Discuss why her uncle might be away all the time and why her cousin is confined to a hidden room.

Do you have a place that you like to go to be alone, that makes you feel safe? Where is it and why did you choose it?

Reviews:

A young orphan finds herself in a remote mansion that hides many secrets.
Roo’s childhood has been traumatic; she is ill-fed, ill-clothed and too small for her age. She spends much of her time hiding in cavelike spaces, with her ear to the ground listening intensely to the movements within the Earth. When her drug-dealing parents are killed, she is sent to live with an uncle on an isolated island—Cough Rock—in the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. The local inhabitants are earthy and superstitious and seem to hark back to an earlier time. Her uncle stays away for months at a time. A newly discovered cousin screams and cries and rarely leaves his room. There is also a mysterious, long-neglected garden that calls to her. The characters and events are nearly exact counterparts to those found in the classic The Secret Garden. Potter intentionally evokes the earlier work, capturing its bittersweet emotions and fey qualities. But it is not a clone in modern dress. The author has created a fresh tale with a strong-willed heroine. Though Jack is no Dickon, Roo might be more likable than Mary Lennox.            
An homage to a cherished classic that can work as a companion piece or stand alone as a solid, modern tale for young readers in the 21st century.

(2011, December 15). [Review of The humming room]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ellen-potter/humming-room/

Module 8 Review - The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox / by Mary E. Pearson.

Bibliographic Citation:

Pearson, M. E. (2008). The adoration of Jenna Fox. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Summary:

Jenna Fox wakes up and a year has passed her by. Following an accident, Jenna was in a coma for a year and when she finally wakes up, she doesn’t remember herself, her family or anything about her past. Her mom and dad are adamant that with time, her memories will come back and Jenna will be Jenna again. Lily, the nana who was once Jenna’s confidant can hardly stand to be in the same room as her, makes Jenna wonder why she is hated.

Jenna has always been the center of her parent’s life and they would do anything for her. Her mom Claire gives Jenna 16 videos of her life to help her remember her past. As the days pass and Jenna watches the videos, she slowly starts remembering things from her past, including things that she shouldn’t, like her baptism at a very young age. Jenna starts to question her past, her injuries and her recovery. The more she learns, the more Jenna discovers about just how far her parents would go to save her.

Impressions:

Imagine waking up from a year-long coma and not remembering who you are, what you were like or who your family is. As a reader, I could feel the overwhelming sense of not knowing that Jenna felt. Having lost loved ones, I can relate to the pain and grief that Jenna’s parents would have felt at the prospect of losing her forever. I question to what extent I would go to save the person I love. Would I take the route of Jenna’s parents and save anything possible, even it if was only 10% of the brain and recreate the rest using whatever available technology, such as BioGel in the story. Would the desire to prevent my own grief and pain outweigh the complications that could come from employing uncertain scientific advances? The internal battle would be strong. I ultimately think that Jenna’s parents were doing what was best for them, thinking very little of their daughter’s future reality.

Library Use Suggestions:

Book Talk – how far in the future do you think this story takes place? How likely do you think it is that something like BioGel will someday be available to recreate a human body that can function as a normal human does? If something were to happen to you and BioGel was an option to save your life, would you take it or not?

Reviews:

Jenna can't remember her past after emerging from a coma, but pieces of her memory begin to return as she recuperates. The novel is set in a future with advanced biomedical technology, and characters wrestle with the attendant ethical implications. With faith and science woven throughout, this provocative thriller is heightened by its portrait of a family under enormous stress.

(2008, January 1). [Review of The Adoration of Jenna Fox]. The Horn Book Guide. Retrieved from http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-85172449.xml Jenna can't remember her past after emerging from a coma, but pieces of her memory begin to return as she recuperates. The novel is set in a future with advanced biomedical technology, and characters wrestle with the attendant ethical implications. With faith and science woven throughout, this provocative thriller is heightened by its portrait of a family under enormous stress.

Module 7 Review 2 - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The sisterhood of the traveling pants / by Ann Brashares.

Bibliographic Citation:

Brashares, A. (2001). The sisterhood of the traveling pants. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Summary:

Four girls, born within 19 days of each other from the end of August to the middle of September, have been friends since birth and spend every summer together. However, the summer of fifteen turning sixteen finds them all going off in different directions. The night before Lena, Bridget and Carmen leave Tibby behind at home for their summer adventures in Greece, Baja California and Charleston, South Carolina, the four discover magic in a pair of thrift store blue jeans that fit them all, and make them all look and feel good. They create a list of ten rules and determine to mail the pants back and forth to each other over the summer.

The four girls write letters back and forth, but none fully reveals the struggles the summer presents. The pants provide a welcome relief each time one of the girls receives them, providing a connection to each of the other three and giving something that each needs, including courage, truth and even some healing.  

Impressions:

The four girls in the story have a strong bond that most girls desire. They are different enough that many young readers will be able to identify with one of them in some way. The different struggles that each girl faces are struggles faced by many young girls, making the characters relatable.

Library Use Suggestions:

I think this would be a good book to use as a late middle school or high school girls book club selection. For older students, discuss the importance of friendships. How did the pants help the girls stay involved in each other’s lives even when they were far apart?

Reviews:

Four teenagers—best friends since babyhood—have different destinations for the summer and are distressed about disbanding. When they find a pair of "magic pants"—secondhand jeans that fit each girl perfectly, despite their different body types—they take a solemn vow that the Pants "will travel to all the places we're going, and they will keep us together when we are apart." Rules for how to pass the Pants among them are devised, along with a list of general usage rules ("You must never say the word phat' while wearing the pants. You must also never think I am fat' while wearing the pants"). Sources for the quotes separating chapters range from Tolkien to Seinfeld; a quote from Winston Churchill states the book's theme: "You will make all kinds of mistakes: but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her." The girls make some big mistakes in the Pants, but wrongs are eventually righted, and the friends learn some life lessons: look beyond appearances, be honest about feelings, have some self-control, and have the courage to love. This first novel has the same foolproof formula as bestseller adult books about intense lifelong friendships (i.e., Rebecca Wells's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood). A posse of loyal girlfriends has enormous appeal; add in the dream-come-true perfect pair of jeans and you can't lose. Good friends, like good pants, should make you feel fabulous; Brasheres takes the two and creates a breezy feel-good book.

(2001, November 1). [Review of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants]. The Horn Book. Retrieved from http://vywwllb.bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-99291223.xml Four teenagers—best friends since babyhood—have different destinations for the summer and are distressed about disbanding. When they find a pair of "magic pants"—secondhand jeans that fit each girl perfectly, despite their different body types—they take a solemn vow that the Pants "will travel to all the places we're going, and they will keep us together when we are apart." Rules for how to pass the Pants among them are devised, along with a list of general usage rules ("You must never say the word phat' while wearing the pants. You must also never think I am fat' while wearing the pants"). Sources for the quotes separating chapters range from Tolkien to Seinfeld; a quote from Winston Churchill states the book's theme: "You will make all kinds of mistakes: but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her." The girls make some big mistakes in the Pants, but wrongs are eventually righted, and the friends learn some life lessons: look beyond appearances, be honest about feelings, have some self-control, and have the courage to love. This first novel has the same foolproof formula as bestseller adult books about intense lifelong friendships (i.e., Rebecca Wells's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood). A posse of loyal girlfriends has enormous appeal; add in the dream-come-true perfect pair of jeans and you can't lose. Good friends, like good pants, should make you feel fabulous; Brasheres takes the two and creates a breezy feel-good book. Four teenagers—best friends since babyhood—have different destinations for the summer and are distressed about disbanding. When they find a pair of "magic pants"—secondhand jeans that fit each girl perfectly, despite their different body types—they take a solemn vow that the Pants "will travel to all the places we're going, and they will keep us together when we are apart." Rules for how to pass the Pants among them are devised, along with a list of general usage rules ("You must never say the word phat' while wearing the pants. You must also never think I am fat' while wearing the pants"). Sources for the quotes separating chapters range from Tolkien to Seinfeld; a quote from Winston Churchill states the book's theme: "You will make all kinds of mistakes: but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her." The girls make some big mistakes in the Pants, but wrongs are eventually righted, and the friends learn some life lessons: look beyond appearances, be honest about feelings, have some self-control, and have the courage to love. This first novel has the same foolproof formula as bestseller adult books about intense lifelong friendships (i.e., Rebecca Wells's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood). A posse of loyal girlfriends has enormous appeal; add in the dream-come-true perfect pair of jeans and you can't lose. Good friends, like good pants, should make you feel fabulous; Brasheres takes the two and creates a breezy feel-good book.

Module 7 Review 1 - Frindle

Frindle / by Andrew Clements.

Bibliographic Citation:

Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Summary:

Nick Allen is a smart kid who is always looking for ways to get out of working at school. Mrs. Granger, the fifth grade language arts teacher loves dictionaries and students spend the whole year learning words. On the first day of school, Nick tries to outsmart Mrs. Granger when he asks where all the words in the big classroom dictionary came from. Instead of falling for his ploy, Mrs. Granger gives Nick an extra homework assignment to do a report the next day about the origin of words. Nick takes on the challenge and uses most the next class day to give his report. At the end of his report, Nick says that he still doesn’t understand why all words mean different things and how d-o-g came to mean the animal what barks. “Who says dog means dog?” Nick asks. Mrs. Granger replies that he does and she does and everyone else does who accepts and uses the word d-o-g to mean the animal that barks.

Later that afternoon as he is walking home, his friend Janet Fisk, picks up a pen off the sidewalk. Nick gets an idea and the next day when he went to the Penny Pantry, he asks for a frindle. As time goes on, all of Nick’s friends start calling the thing we know as a pen, a frindle. The word eventually spreads outside of the school and makes the state, national and international news. A man in Nick’s town even starts a company to make and sell frindles.

At first, it appears that Mrs. Granger is angry at Nick for not giving in or giving up on calling the pen a frindle, but years later, he learns how truly proud and inspired she was by him and his determination to make a word mean something.

Impressions:

This is a fun story. I had no idea what the book was about before I read it. The pen on the cover should have been a clue, but I honestly didn’t pay that much attention to it. Nick is such a clever boy to come up with the ideas he has to get out of work. He appears to be a bit stubborn to when the frindle game seems to have gone on long enough and Mrs. Granger appears to be losing her patience. But at that point, even though Nick says he would stop it if he could, frindle had taken on a life of its own. Years later, Nick (and the reader) finds out that Mrs. Granger was rooting for him all along.

The wonderful reality to this book is that kids can make a difference in the world. They may not create a new word for an ordinary item, they may not end up on the news and with a huge trust fund, but they can make a difference. Even a small difference can be huge to another person.

Library Use Suggestions:

I think this would be a great book to do a book introduction to get kids interested in reading it. I would introduce the title and ask if anyone knows what a frindle is, have them make predictions, etc. After giving a short review to promote the book, I would direct students to a few items and tell them that they can be like Nick and create new words for different objects too and challenge them to think of new words to represent the objects provided.

Reviews:

Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively. When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after. With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale--one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves.

(1996, July 1). [Review of Frindle]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from 

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/andrew-clements/frindle/

Module 6 Review - Mr. Lincoln's Way

Mr. Lincoln's Way / by Patricia Polacco.

Bibliographic Citation:

Polacco, P. (2001). Mr. Lincoln’s way. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Summary:

Everyone thought Mr. Lincoln was the coolest principal ever, except for “mean Gene” the school bully. “Mean Gene” was always in trouble for being mean to the other kids and rude to the teachers. Mr. Lincoln thought and thought of a way to get through to him. One day, Mr. Lincoln saw Eugene “Mean Gene” looking at the birds in the school’s atrium. Mr. Lincoln asked Eugene about birds and Eugene said his grandpa taught him. Eugene helped get all the right plants into the atrium so more birds would come and was very excited to see the result. Eugene has stopped being mean until one day in the lunch line when he was bullying two kids from Mexico. He told Mr. Lincoln it was because he got in trouble for being late coming home after helping Mr. Lincoln with the birds in the atrium. Mr. Lincoln asked Eugene how he could love all the different kinds and colors of birds but hurt other people because they were different colors. Eugene began to understand that differences aren’t bad.

Impressions:

Mr. Lincoln shows that all children can be reached if you take the time to figure out what makes them tick. Eugene’s love for birds and the school atrium gave Mr. Lincoln the right combination for how to reach and teach Eugene about loving the differences in people just like the birds. By taking time with Eugene, Mr. Lincoln also showed him that he was important also. When Eugene leads the ducks out of the atrium and through the school to the pond at the end of the book, you see how much he has changed due to the influence of a caring principal.

Library Use Suggestions

Discussion about ways you can show kindness to other people.

Felt board of the school – students can help show the path of the books from out of the atrium all the way to the pond by placing felt ducks on the map.

Reviews:

A "cool" principal helps a bully become a model citizen and conquer his racism by capitalizing on the boy's interest in birds. Although the illustrations are engaging, the story of the bully's transformation is both sanctimonious and unconvincing. Eugene is too self-aware for his age, and Mr. Lincoln is too flawless to be interesting.

(2001, January 1). [Review of Mr. Lincoln’s Way]. Horn Book Guide. Retrieved from http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=hbg/14211.xml In her many books, Polacco has dealt sensitively with a broad spectrum of circumstances and issues. Here she tackles both intolerance and bullying. Mr. Lincoln is the "coolest" principal: he is Santa at Christmas, lights the menorah at Chanukah, and wears a dashiki for Kwanza and a burnoose for Ramadan. The author chronicles his attempt to reclaim "Mean Gene," a child who sasses his teachers, picks on other children, and makes ethnic slurs. "He's not a bad boy, really, ' Mr. Lincoln said. Only troubled.'" However, the distinction is not clarified. When the principal discovers that the boy is fond of birds, he capitalizes on this interest. He involves him in attracting the creatures to the school atrium while at the same time showing him that just as the differences in the birds render them beautiful, so do the differences in people. While the theme is an important and timely one, Polacco has allowed her message to overwhelm both plot and character development. The story emerges as didactic, laden with heavy-handed metaphor, and too simplistic a solution to a deep-rooted problem. The book may be useful to schools in need of a springboard for discussion of the topic and is graced with impressive watercolors, but it is not up to the author's usual literary standards

Module 5 Review 2 - One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer / by Rita Williams-Garcia.

Bibliographic Citation:

Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York, NY: Amistad/HarperCollins.

Summary:

Three little girls, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern take off from New York City and head to Oakland, California to spend 30 days with the mother who abandoned them seven years earlier. When they get to California, their mother, Cecile, does not rush forward to claim the girls as they had hoped, but reminds them that she did not ask for them to come. They follow her home by taxi and bus, where they are basically left to fend for themselves. Cecile will not let them in her kitchen and seems put out when they ask for dinner. She gives the girls money and gives them directions to get take out from Ming’s Chinese. The next morning, she sends them to the community center for breakfast and tells them to stay gone all day. Delphine, who has long assumed the role of mother to her younger sisters, makes sure they stay out of Cecile’s way and are gone as long as possible. The community center turns out to be a children’s camp run by the Black Panther’s. Vonetta is drawn to the other girls and is willing to go along with whatever is happening. Delphine is a little more cautious about getting involved and Fern stays close to her biggest sister. Their time with their mother slowly progresses and the girls all become more involved in the activities of the Black Panther camp. One day, the girls decide to take a trip into San Francisco to do some sightseeing. When they return, the see their mother being arrested along with two members of the Black Panthers. The mother of one of the boys at the day camp lets the girls stay with them. The girls perform one of their mother’s poems at the Black Panther rally and Fern recites her own poem. Their mother sees them and shows a small bit of pride. When the girls are at the airport, getting ready to board the plane, Fern runs to her mother and gives her a hug and the other two follow, acknowledging that a mother’s hug is what they needed.

Impressions:

The author does an excellent job of defining the three girls and their differences in regards to their feelings of abandonment by their mother. At the beginning of the story, Delphine, the responsible, mother-like, oldest sister thinks a lot about what Papa and Big Ma would say if they could see how Cecile is treating them. As the story progresses, you see subtle changes in Cecile and each of the girls, and Papa and Big Ma become less of a focus for Delphine. The Black Panthers day camp provides a backdrop for the activities the girls are involved in over the summer and how these new thoughts and experiences shape the girls while there are away from Papa and Big Ma’s influence.

Library Use Suggestions:

For older students, research can be done on the beliefs and actions of the Black Panthers and how these actions were similar and different from those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

Reviews:

A flight from New York to Oakland, Calif., to spend the summer of 1968 with the mother who abandoned Delphine and her two sisters was the easy part. Once there, the negative things their grandmother had said about their mother, Cecile, seem true: She is uninterested in her daughters and secretive about her work and the mysterious men in black berets who visit. The sisters are sent off to a Black Panther day camp, where Delphine finds herself skeptical of the worldview of the militants while making the best of their situation. Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings: “Just like I know how to lift my sisters up, I also knew how to needle them just right.” Each girl has a distinct response to her motherless state, and Williams-Garcia provides details that make each characterization crystal clear. The depiction of the time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page.

(2010, January 15). [Review of One Crazy Summer]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rita-williams-garcia/one-crazy-summer/

Module 5 Review 1 - Esperanza Rising

Esparanza rising / by Pam Munoz Ryan.

Bibliographic Citation:

Ryan, P.M. (2000). Esperanza Rising. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary:

Esperanza Ortega is a budding young woman of means in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The day before her thirteenth birthday, she pricks her finger on the thorn of a rose and remembers the superstition of bad luck. She brushes it off until later in the evening when her father has not returned home from mending fences with the vaqueros. A search party turns up her father and the vaqueros, dead at the hands of bandits.

Esperanza and her mother are to retain the house, but her Tio Luis received the land. Tio Luis proposes marriage to Esperanza’s mother, Ramona. When Ramona declines, their house is burned down after Tio Luis’ menacing warning. With the help of a neighboring farmer, Alfonso, Hortensia and Miguel, a family of three that had served the Ortega’s for years, Esperanza and her mother make their way to California to work in the fields with other poor, migrant families.

With her father gone, her house and things burned to ashes, a move to California and learning to work are difficult changes for Esperanza, who still feels like a young woman of means. However, after her mother falls ill with Valley Fever and a bout of depression lands her in the hospital, Esperanza begins to recognize the importance of having her family in spite of what she has lost. She goes to work in order to pay her mother’s medical bills and saves up her money to bring her Abuelita from Mexico.

Through it all, with the help of Alfonso, Hortensia, Miguel and her new friends, Esperanza learns to flourish without her riches. Her mother eventually comes home from the hospital and her Abuelita arrives from Mexico, raising the family from the ashes of tragedy.

Impressions:

With loving care, Pam Munoz Ryan wrote a wonderful tribute in honor of her grandmother, Esperanza Ortega, the muse of the story. The images of the farm and migrant workers in the work fields of California’s San Joaquin Valley during the Great Depression give the story historical significance. The tragedy Esperanza faces, and the changes she has to make and endure, provides a personal connection. While the reader may not have encountered tragedy of the same nature, the hope that comes from watching Esperanza rise above her tragedy with strength, courage and grace is inspiring.

Library Use Suggestions:

Discussion about losing someone important such as a grandparent, parent or sibling. Those that have lost someone, if willing, share feelings and challenges faced in the following days and months after the loss.

Reviews:

The author of Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride (1999) and Riding Freedom (1997) again approaches historical fiction, this time using her own grandmother as source material. In 1930, Esperanza lives a privileged life on a ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico. But when her father dies, the post-Revolutionary culture and politics force her to leave with her mother for California. Now they are indebted to the family who previously worked for them, for securing them work on a farm in the San Joaquin valley. Esperanza balks at her new situation, but eventually becomes as accustomed to it as she was in her previous home, and comes to realize that she is still relatively privileged to be on a year-round farm with a strong community. She sees migrant workers forced from their jobs by families arriving from the Dust Bowl, and camps of strikers—many of them US citizens—deported in the "voluntary repatriation" that sent at least 450,000 Mexicans and Mexican-Americans back to Mexico in the early 1930s. Ryan's narrative has an epic tone, characters that develop little and predictably, and a romantic patina that often undercuts the harshness of her story. But her style is engaging, her characters appealing, and her story is one that—though a deep-rooted part of the history of California, the Depression, and thus the nation—is little heard in children's fiction. It bears telling to a wider audience.

(2000, October 1). [Review of Esperanza Rising]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pam-munoz-ryan/esperanza-rising/