How I Live Now--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 6—fantasy, fiction and young adult.

1. Bibliography

Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I Live Now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
ISBN 0-385-74677-6

2. Plot Summary


Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth (Daisy) is sent from New York to live
with her aunt and cousins in England when her stepmother is
pregnant. While Daisy is in England, a global terrorist war breaks
out and her aunt is sent out of the country as part of the war
effort. Daisy and her cousins must try to survive on their own
when faced with war, starvation and separation from each other.


3. Critical Analysis


How I Live Now is Meg Rosoff’s first novel. It is a Junior Library
Guild Selection and Michael L. Printz award winner, which would
indicate that it is a well-written, quality book, and it is. In a
post-9/11 world, a global terror war is very believable, and
getting trapped on the wrong side of a border during war-time
has happened many times in the past. That Daisy and her cousins
would be left on their own and largely ignored by adults in the
area is not hard to imagine, since everyone would be busy taking
care of himself or herself. There is nothing that happens in the
story that would not happen in real life.

The style of writing that Rosoff uses is appropriate for the story.
It is written the way a young person speaks—sometimes in long,
run-on sentences and sometimes in brief phrases. This adds to
the authenticity and appeal of the book.

The story is revealed exclusively through Daisy’s eyes. Most of
the book is Daisy’s recollection of the events. There is not even
any conversation until the third chapter of the epilogue. Because
it is Daisy’s story, she is the character who is most fully developed.
At the beginning of the book, she is totally self-absorbed and her
biggest concern is having no signal on her cell phone. She is so
unaware of the world that when she talks about a bomb going off
in London, she says “something like seven or seventy thousand
people got killed”—hardly a reliable witness. By the end of the
story, she has become caretaker of her young cousin and has
walked across the country, living in the wild for weeks, to get
back the cousin back to her home.

The story takes place in the not-too-distant future in a small
English village and the surrounding countryside. It is important
to the story that the setting be somewhat isolated, since that is
how the cousins escape the notice of adults for a time. If the
setting were in a city, there would be more people around and
the cousins would not have been able to be on their own for as
long as they were. Daisy and Piper would not have had to make
their cross-country journey, which is when Daisy did a lot of
maturing.

Although it is set during war-time, How I Live Now is not really
about war. It is about courage and growing up and doing more
than one thinks is possible. Readers of any age group would be
able to relate to that aspect of the story. The author does not
tell the reader, “You need to grow up and quit thinking so much
about yourself and your little problems.” She lets the reader
learn that lesson through Daisy’s eyes.

When asked what she hoped readers would take away from How
I Live Now, Rosoff answered, “I'd particularly hope that my
teenage readers come away with a sense of the importance
and redemptive power of love, friendship, emotional connections
and loyalty, and the horror of war.” She has undoubtedly
succeeded.

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “the opportunity it provides for teens to imagine
themselves, like Daisy, exhibiting courage and resilience in
roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations.”

Publishers Weekly: “Teens may feel that they have experienced
a war themselves as they vicariously witness Daisy's worst night-
mares. Like the heroine, readers will emerge from the rubble
much shaken, a little wiser and with perhaps a greater sense of
humanity.”

Amazon.co.uk: “Rosoff's writing style is both brilliant and
frustrating. Her descriptions are wonderful, as is her ability to
portray the emotions of her characters. However, her long
sentences and total lack of punctuation for dialogue can be
exhausting. Her narrative is deeply engaging and yet a bit
unbelievable. The end of the book is dramatic, but too sudden.
The book has a raw, unfinished feel about it, yet that somehow
adds to the experience of reading it.”--John McLay

“That rare, rare thing, a first novel with a sustained, magical
and utterly faultless voice. After five pages I knew that she
could persuade me to believe almost anything.”
--Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time

Horn Book: This first novel is intelligent, funny, serious, and
sweet; a winning combination of acerbic commentary, innocence,
and sober vision... Hilarious, lyrical, and compassionate, this is,
literarily and emotionally, deeply satisfying.


5. Connections

Because How I Live Now is such a multifaceted story, there are
many curriculum connections that could be made and many
discussions that could be started after reading it—discussions
about step-families, eating disorders, terrorism, survival
techniques, and the effects of war on civilians, just to name a few.

It might be interesting to have students rewrite a chapter of the
book from someone else’s point of view—Edmond’s or Piper’s, for
example.


Other books about young people whose lives are disrupted by war:

● The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. ISBN 978-0-553-29698-3
● Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic. ISBN 978-0-143-03687-6
● Stolen Voices: Young People’s War Diaries from World War I
to Iraq edited by Zlata Filipovic. ISBN 978-0-143-03871-9
● Thura’s Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq by Thura al-Windawi
ISBN 978-0-670-05886-0
● The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. ISBN
978-0-553-21011-8
● The Fighting Ground by Avi. ISBN 978-0-064-40185-2
● Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt. ISBN 978-0-425-18278-9
● My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and
Christopher Collier. ISBN 978-0-590-42792-0

Hoot--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 6—fantasy, fiction and young adult.

1. Bibliography

Hiaasen, Carl. 2002. Hoot. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN 0-329-37933-32.

2. Plot Summary

Hoot is the story of Roy Eberhardt and some of his friends.
Roy has recently moved from Montana to Florida. While he
is on the school bus one morning, Roy sees a strange boy
running away from the bus stop. He investigates and
eventually learns that the boy is named Mullet Fingers and
that he his step-sister, Beatrice, goes to school with Roy.
Mullet Fingers is on a mission to save the habitat of a family
of burrowing owls. The site is the intended home of a new
restaurant called Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake
House. Roy and Beatrice join in the fight, with help from
Roy’s father. Thanks to their efforts, the owls are saved.


3. Critical Analysis

Hoot is an example of quality contemporary realistic fiction for
young adults. The young people in the story are believable and
seem like real people. The adults tend to be more one-sided
and stereotypical (the wicked step-mother, the bumbling deputy,
the evil corporate employees.) The plot of the story is very
contemporary and true to life. It concerns young people who are
trying to protect the environment and are willing to go against
adults and even large corporations to accomplish their goals. In
a time when corporations are buying land and leaving very little
unspoiled nature, it is very realistic. The setting is in present-day
Florida, where the wetlands truly are threatened and many people
really are fighting to save them.

Hiaasen uses narration and conversation to tell his story. The
conversation is natural, believable, and appropriate to the
situation. The children speak differently when they are speaking
to adults than they do when they are speaking to each other, just
as children would really do.

The plot of Hoot will keep the reader entertained. There is
mystery (Who is the barefoot boy? Who is sabotaging the
construction efforts of Mother Paula?), suspense (Will Roy and
his friends manage to save the owls? Will Roy escape the bully?),
and humor (the tricks used at the construction site.) The plot
moves along quickly and is easy to follow. It does not get bogged
down in too much detail.

Hoot takes place in modern day Florida, but it could happen in
any place where people or corporations put profit ahead of the
protection of nature. The theme of children fighting injustice is
universal.

Some of the awards that Carl Hiaasen won for Hoot are Newbery
Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, YALSA Best Book for Young Adults,

Book Sense Book of the Year Finalist, New York Times Bestseller,
and Book Sense Bestseller.

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “…the story is full of offbeat humor, buffoonish yet
charming supporting characters, and genuinely touching scenes
of children enjoying the wildness of nature. He deserves a warm
welcome into children’s publishing.” — Bill Ott

Amazon.com: “Sure to be a hoot, er, hit with middle school
mystery fans.”--Jennifer Hubert.

Washington Post Book World: “Yes, it is a hoot.”

Publishers Weekly: “Though readers will have few doubts about
the success of the kids' campaign, several suspenseful scenes
build to the denouement involving the sitcom-like unraveling
of a muckity-muck at the pancake house. These, along with
dollops of humor, help make the novel quite a hoot indeed.”


School Library Journal: “Packed with quirky characters and
improbable plot twists, Hiaasen's first novel for young readers
is entertaining but ultimately not very memorable. The story
is silly at times but rarely laugh-out-loud funny, and there are
several highly unlikely scenes. Also, it wraps up a little too
neatly. While Roy is a sympathetic protagonist, few of the
other characters are well developed.”--Miranda Doyle

5. Connections

● Students may enjoy reading Carl Hiaasen’s answers to questions
about Hoot at http://www.carlhiaasen.com/faqs-hoot.html
● Watch the movie based on the book. Compare the two.
Hoot (New Line Platinum Series) 2006. ASIN B000GB5MH4
● Find out about burrowing owls. Make a bulletin board or a
class book with the information you find.
● Find out if there has ever been a similar situation in your
community. What happened?
● See pictures of burrowing owls and read about a real-life
Florida project to save them at
http://members.aol.com/pjbowen/owls.html


Another book by Hiaasen about a young crusader:

Flush ISBN 978-0-375-82182-0

The Giver--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 6—fantasy, fiction and young adult.

1. Bibliography

Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell.
ISBN 0-440-2272-5

2. Plot Summary

Jonas lives in a perfect world. There are rules for everything
and everyone follows the rules. No one has to make choices
about anything—not even about getting married, having
children, or what career to work in. There is no pain or sick-
ness and no war or struggles of any kind. Everyone in the
community does everything possible not to upset the routine.
On the rare occasions when the rules are broken or when a
“newchild” or an older person is ill, there is a “release.” When
Jonas is twelve years old, he is given his assignment. He is to
be the Receiver of Memory. Through his training, Jonas will
come to understand fear and pain, but also joy and love and
the value of individuality. When Jonas learns what it truly
means to be “released,” he must make a choice that will
change his life forever.

3. Critical Analysis

The Giver is an example of modern fantasy, specifically
dystopian or anti-utopian fantasy, where a seemingly perfect
world is really one that is completely authoritarian. The
society in The Giver is so completely controlled that its
citizens never have to make decisions at all. The highest
value is conformity.

The plot of The Giver is similar in some ways to that of other
novels of this type, but it is original enough to hold the
reader’s interest. Given the rules of the community, the
events are very logical, and the author uses foreshadowing
to predict them before they occur. One example of that
occurs when the Giver is telling Jonas about the previous
Receiver who asked to be released. The Giver says that if
anything happened to Jonas, he (the Giver) might be able
to help the entire community in the way that he helps Jonas.

The setting of The Giver is only described as the Community.
It is a perfect world where there is no sickness or pain or war.
Even the weather is controlled. This is important to the story
because it indicates the extent to which the people of the
Community have given up control of their lives, and how they
value predictability and security over individualism. This choice
between conformity and individual choice is one of the major
themes of the story. The theme is not directly stated, but it is
very obvious throughout the story.

Lois Lowry does a good job of revealing the frightening aspects
of life in the Community slowly, letting the reader learn through
small details and incidents the price that the people have paid
for their perfect world. From the opening sentence, where Jonas
is concerned about choosing exactly the right word to describe
his feelings, the reader is given notice that this is not a normal
society. This impression continues throughout the story as the
reader learns that there are rules for everything in the society—
how many children are born each year, how many children each
family may have, what job each citizen has, how children dress
at each age, even when citizens will die.

Lowry uses a combination of narrative and dialogue to tell the
story of The Giver. When she uses conversation, it is natural
and appropriate for the characters, and for the purpose of the
book. The ease with which the characters talk about subjects
like punishment for minor rule infractions and the “release” of
sick and elderly citizens adds to the mood of horror.

The Giver is an interesting story, and Lowry uses it to give the
reader an opportunity to think about an important topic—the
value of choice and freedom.

The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Award.

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “The simplicity and directness of Lowry’s writing force
readers to grapple with their own thoughts about this dichotomy
[sameness and safety vs. individualism]; though it is clear what
the right answer is (and, at times, the narrative lacks subtlety
in insisting upon that answer)….” Ilene Cooper

Amazon.com: “With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994
Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people
might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create
a more stable society.”

Publishers Weekly: “Lowry's development of this civilization is
so deft that her readers, like the community's citizens, will be
easily seduced by the chimera of this ordered, pain-free society.
With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie
futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John
Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's
The Little Match Girl. 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

● As a basis for class discussion, have students complete a
survey about what they consider an ideal society. One
example of such a survey is found at
http://www.tallmania.com/GivSurvey.htm
● Illustrate a memory that you would transmit if you were
the Giver. It can be a pleasant one or an unpleasant one.
● Make a chart illustrating the advantages and disadvantages
of living in a controlled society like the one described in
The Giver.
● Using a digital camera, take pictures of objects that Jonas
saw. Print them in color and in black-and-white and
compare them.


Books with similar themes:

● The Guardians by John Christopher. ISBN 978-0-606-02006-0
● The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher. ISBN 978-0-020-42571-7
● Animal Farm by George Orwell. ISBN 978-1-595-40429-9
● 1984 by George Orwell. ISBN 978-8-483-28006-5
● Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. ISBN 978-0-345-34296-6

Good Queen Bess: the Story of Elizabeth I of England--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 5—historical fiction.

1. Bibliography

Stanley, Diane and Vennema, Peter. 1990. Good Queen Bess:
the Story of Elizabeth I of England. Ill. by Diane Stanley.
New York: Four Winds Press. ISBN 0-02-786810-9

2. Plot Summary

Good Queen Bess begins before the birth of Elizabeth, when
her father, Henry VIII, decides to divorce his first wife, Catherine
of Aragon, and marry Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth is born shortly thereafter, and before she is four
years old, her mother has been executed and her father has
remarried and had a son. The birth of a prince means that
Elizabeth is no longer first in line for the throne, so she is sent
away from the palace. Through a series of events, Elizabeth
becomes queen at the age of 25 and rules England for the
next 45 years. The book mentions the major events of
Elizabeth’s life, including her potential husbands, travels
around the country, imprisonment of her cousin Mary, the
defeat of the Spanish Armada, and her support of adventurers
and artists, especially William Shakespeare. The book ends
with Elizabeth’s death on March 24, 1603.

3. Critical Review

Good Queen Bess is a biography of Elizabeth I of England and
for the most part is told chronologically. The story begins
shortly before Elizabeth’s birth and ends with her death. The
book is not just a list of facts. The facts are there, and seem
to be accurate, but Stanley and Vennema have created an
interesting story based on a major historical figure.

The book contains quotes from letters and documents of
Elizabeth’s time, but no dialogue. There is a bibliography
at the end of the book, but the sources for each individual
quote are not given, so it would be difficult to check them
for accuracy.

Elizabeth is portrayed in a very positive light throughout
the book. She is described as intelligent, musical, gifted
in languages, tolerant, clever and wise. The worst thing
that Stanley and Vennema say about Elizabeth is that “she
didn’t mind throwing a temper tantrum now and again if
that would gain time, change the subject, or win her point.”

It is evident that the authors admire Elizabeth I and want

the reader to admire her as well.

Diane Stanley’s illustrations are richly colored and beautifully
detailed. The illustration of Elizabeth’s tutor shows the
wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. The clothing
and jewels look almost three-dimensional. One of the most
interesting illustrations shows a painter working on a portrait
of Elizabeth, so the reader sees Elizabeth as the model and as
the portrait.

Good Queen Bess is a very entertaining and informative book.
It is easy to understand why it has been honored as a Blue-
bonnet Award nominee, an ALA Notable book, Booklist
Editor’s Choice, and Library of Congress Recommended Book
for Children, among other awards.


4. Review Excerpts

Publisher’s Weekly: “Intricate artwork conveys the delicate
lace and accoutrements of court dress, patterned ceilings and
cobblestone streets…. Through concise, skillful writing, the
queen's involvement in the complex political and religious
conflicts of the day becomes engrossing and easily compre-
hensible. With their attention to period detail--most strikingly
the elaborate Elizabethan dress, jewels and palace furnishings—
Stanley's paintings transport readers back to an intriguing era.”

Children's Literature: “Author/illustrator Diane Stanley and
her husband, Peter Vennema charmed us with Peter the Great
and now they have brilliantly brought to life Elizabeth I of
England. In a mere 40 pages the reader learns of Henry VIII
and his wives, his falling out with the Pope, the birth of
Elizabeth, her rise to power, the pageantry of her Court, and
her astute political savvy. Ms Stanley's illustrations depict
the grandeur of the Court and the magnificence of the
Queen's costumes.”

School Library Journal: “That most wise and wily queen of
England, Elizabeth I, is the subject of this picture biography.
The handsome illustrations, exemplified by the visualization
of those small English boats set afire and launched to face
the Spanish Armada, are worthy of their subject. Although
the format suggests a picture-book audience, this biography
needs to be introduced to older readers who have the back-
ground to appreciate and understand this woman who dom-
inated and named an age….The text is clearly written,
explaining the main events and key decisions of Elizabeth's
life and reign. For readers wanting more depth, a short
bibliography of mostly adult titles ends the book.”

5. Connections

Obviously, this book could be used as part of a study of
British monarchs. It would also be appropriate for a study
of William Shakespeare.

Recreate the pictures of some of Elizabeth’s costumes
using scraps of cloth, beads, etc.

Present a reader’s theater of one or more of the scenes in
the book.

Plan how you would entertain the Queen if she came to
your home during one of her summer progressions around
the country, including the food you would serve, gifts you
might give, etc.

A few of the many websites about Elizabeth I of England:

● http://historymedren.about.com/b/a/057502.htm
● http://www.historyaliveshows.com/queenelizabeth.htm
● http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/eliza.htm
● http://www.elizabethi.org/us/
● http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/eliz1.html

The Fighting Ground--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 5—historical fiction.

1. Bibliography

Avi. 1984. The Fighting Ground. New York: Harper & Row.
ISBN 0-06-440185-5

2. Plot Summary

The Fighting Ground is the story of one twenty-four hour period
in the life of one thirteen-year-old boy. The boy is Jonathan
and the day is from the morning of April 3, 1778 until the morning
of April 4, 1778. Against his parents’ wished, Johanthan goes off
to fight in a battle, is captured by enemy soldiers, escapes, and
manages to get back home. He is physically unhurt, but his ideas
about war are changed forever.

3. Critical Analysis

Avi says that he was inspired to write The Fighting Ground when
he passed a roadside sign that told about a skirmish that had
occurred on that spot during the American Revolution. He says
that even though it was a small battle, it must have impacted
some lives since people were killed. He wanted to recreate that
day and tell about some of those people. He has chosen to tell
the story through the eyes of a fictitious young boy named
Jonathan. None of the other characters are named. They are
identified as “the Corporal,” “the Hessian,” “the woman,” etc.
If they are actual historical figures, the reader does not know it
and it does not matter. The story is about Jonathan.

The plot of The Fighting Ground is realistic to the time period,
and timeless as well. During the Revolution, there were small
battles fought and very young people were involved in the fighting.
It is timeless and universal because the story is more about
Jonathan’s battle within himself than it is about the skirmish.
As the story progresses, Jonathan must face the realities of
war as opposed to his preconceived ideas of what it would be.

The dialogue in the story is natural and realistic. One example
of that is that when the Hessian soldiers speak, their dialogue
is written in German. It is not translated in the story itself, but
there is an appendix at the end of the book with the translations.

Avi includes enough historical details to make the story seem
authentic without boring the reader with them. He goes into
great detail about the gun that Jonathan carries—its length,
weight, the processes of loading and shooting. This information
is interesting, and it also serves to show how young and
inexperienced Jonathan is. He can barely lift the gun and it is
taller than he is. He has to concentrate on each step of the
loading and firing, while the men around him do it automatically.
Avi describes the clothing and uniforms of the period, as well.
He has combined all of these elements to create a timeless
story set in a significant period in history.


The Fighting Ground won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical
Fiction.

4. Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly: “The compelling story of a young boy's first
encounter with war and how it changes him.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: “A small stunner.
This book makes the war personal and immediate: not history
or event, but experience; near and within oneself, and horrible.”

School Library Journal: “Avi has accomplished his intent: to
have readers experience, minute by minute, what it’s like to
be involved in war.”

5. Connections

● Write a newspaper account of the battle in which Jonathan
fought.
● Invite children to write and/or talk about a time when they
got something that they thought they wanted, only to have
it turn out in a way they never expected.
● Have students keep a journal of a 24-hour period in their lives.
● This book would be a good addition to a study of the American
Revolution.
● Use a map of New Jersey to find the towns mentioned in the
story.

Other books about young people in the American Revolution

●The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.
ISBN 978-1-580-49586-8
● A Young Patriot: the American Revolution as Experienced
by One Boy by Jim Murphy. ISBN 978-0-395-60523-3
● Phoebe the Spy by Judith Griffin. ISBN 978-0-698-11956-7
● The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson by Ann
McGovern. ISBN 978-0-590-43052-4
● Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes.
ISBN 978-0-395-90011-6

The Green Glass Sea--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 5—historical fiction.

1. Bibliography

Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Viking.
ISBN 0-670-06134-4

2. Plot Summary

The Green Glass Sea, set in New Mexico during World War II, is
the story of 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan. Dewey goes to live
with her father at Los Alamos while he works on “the gadget.”
Dewey has trouble fitting in with the girls already living there,
but she does not let it stop her from being herself and doing
the things that she wants to do. When Mr. Kerrigan is sent to
work in Washington, Dewey has to move in with her arch-rival
Suze Gordon. The two girls struggle to work out their differences
and get along. The temporary arrangement becomes permanent
when Mr. Kerrigan is killed in an accident. The title of the book
comes from a last gift that Mr. Kerrigan gives to Dewey.


3. Critical Analysis

The Green Glass Sea is historical fiction set in World War II Los
Alamos, New Mexico. There are some historical figures (Richard
Feynman, Robert Oppenheimer, and Dorothy McKibbin) and there
are some actual historical events, but Dewey’s story is fiction.
Ellen Klages makes the story believable. She brings the past to
life with accurate details, such as her description of Dewey’s
train ride to New Mexico. She mentions songs that were playing
on the radio and food that was available at the grocery store.
Her descriptions seem to be very representative of life in the
1940’s.

Although the historical figures mentioned in the book are some of
the most important people in United States and world history, in
The Green Glass Sea, their appearances are brief. The reader only
sees them as they interact with Dewey. She does not realize who
they are, so the reader does not either. The story is about Dewey.
The others are only a supporting cast.

The plot of The Green Glass Sea is very realistic. As with the
characters, the focus is on Dewey, not on the development of
“the gadget.” The details about life and work at Los Alamos are
accurate, but the plot revolves around Dewey’s life and problems.
The story is about dealing with change and loss, not about building
an atomic bomb.

Ellen Klages tells a compelling story about a young girl living in a
fascinating time and place, as evidenced by the fact that
The Green Glass Sea is the recipient of several awards, including
the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the Judy Lopez Award
for Children’s Literature, and #1 on the BookSense Winter 2006/2007
Children’s Picks List.


4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “The novel occasionally gets mired down in detail, but
the characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling,
unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes.”— John Green



School Library Journal: “Clear prose brings readers right into
the unusual atmosphere of the secretive scientific community,
seen through the eyes of the kids and their families. Dewey is
an especially engaging character, plunging on with her
mechanical projects and ignoring any questions about gender
roles. Many readers will know as little about the true nature
of the project as the girls do, so the gradual revelation of facts
is especially effective, while those who already know about
Los Alamos's historical significance will experience the story
in a different, but equally powerful, way.”–Steven Engelfried



Publisher’s Weekly: “Klages makes an impressive debut with
an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII.”



Horn Book: “…the story, an intense but accessible page-turner,
firmly belongs to the girls and their families; history and story
are drawn together with confidence."


5. Connections

● Create a reader’s theater presentation with any of the scenes
between Dewey and Suze, or Dewey and the other girls in town.
● Look at the Los Alamos National Laboratory website for factual
information and pictures of the area during World War II.
http://www.lanl.gov/history/
● Find biographical information on Robert Oppenheimer,
Richard Feynman, or Dorothy McKibbin.
● Build a radio. Several websites offer instructions, including
http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/radio.html.

Ellen Klages is writing a sequel to The Green Glass Sea. The
working title is White Sands, Red Menace.

How I Live Now (audiobook)--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 6—fantasy, fiction and young adult.

1. Bibliography

Rosoff, M. How I Live Now [compact discs]. Kim Mai Guest (Narrator).
New York: Listening Library, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-307-28184-5

Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I Live Now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
ISBN 0-385-74677-6


2. Plot Summary

Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth (Daisy) is sent from New York to live
with her aunt and cousins in England when her stepmother is
pregnant. While Daisy is in England, a global terrorist war breaks
out and her aunt is sent out of the country as part of the war
effort. Daisy and her cousins must try to survive on their own

against war and starvation and separation from each other.

3. Critical Analysis

This unabridged audiobook is a set of four compact discs in a
double jewel case with a paperboard slipcase. The front cover
of the slipcase matches the cover of the book, while the back
has a brief excerpt from the story and pictures of the author
and the narrator.

At the beginning of Disc 1, there is a thirty second introduction
of the book title and the narrator. The introduction is accompany-
ied by a piano solo. No composer or performer is identified on the
case or slipcover. On the last disc, at the completion of the story
itself, there is a ninety second commercial for audiobooks. Jim Dale,
the narrator of the Harry Potter books suggests using audiobooks
with children as another form of reading aloud to them. Between
Chapter 29 and the epilogue, there is a piano solo like the one in
the introduction.

For the story itself, there is only one reader, Kim Mai Guest.
According to the information on the slipcover, Ms. Guest has acted
in several animated movies and many commercials and video games.
Her voice is very easy and pleasant to listen to, and she enunciates
each word clearly. She manages to convey the “Oh Yeah, This Is
So Much What I Usually Do” (Rosoff, p. 5) tone of a teenaged New
Yorker, but at the same time, keep the story lively and interesting.


There are no sound effects or background noise of any kind, and no
other voices are heard during Guest’s five-hour telling of the story.
This is entirely appropriate because the book is written in first
person, so it reflects only Daisy’s memories and thoughts. The
story is so completely Daisy’s that until the epilogue, there are not
even any direct quotations or conversation, only her retelling of
them. Any other voices or sounds on the recording would be a
distraction.

The experience of listening to this audiobook was completely
absorbing. Hearing the story read aloud added another
dimension to the book itself because it brought out different details
and nuances than reading silently. It helped make How I Live Now
truly unforgettable.


4. Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “Kim Mai Guest reads with a light, slightly
saucy tone which is just right for a New Yorker like Daisy.”
(August 1, 2005)


Booklist: “Fifteen-year-old heroine Daisy’s first-person voice--run-on,
wry, and solipsistic--is what makes this 2005 Michael L. Printz Award
winner an unforgettable novel. Guest’s narration is a perfect fit.”
— Karen Cruze


5. Connections

Use this audiobook in conjunction with Meg Rosoff’s book, either with
an entire class or individual students.

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 4—nonfiction.

1. Bibliography

Walker, Sally M. 2005. Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving
the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley. Ill. by Laura Westlund.
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books. ISBN 1-57505-830-8

2. Plot Summary

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine is the story of the first submarine
ever to sink an enemy ship. The submarine was the H. L. Hunley,
and she was built for the Confederate navy in 1863. This book is
divided into two sections. The first four chapters describe how and
why the Hunley was built, her mission, and the disaster that sunk
her. There is also a description of how a submarine works. The
second section of the book is about the archaeological efforts to
locate and raise the Hunley and find and interpret the artifacts
found inside her.


3. Critical Analysis

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine won several major awards when
it was published, including the Robert F. Sibert Award, ALA Notable
Book, Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth, International
Reading Association Teacher’s Choice, and Orbis Pictus Recom-
mended Title. Such awards are a good indication that the infor-
mation in the book is accurate. Ms. Walker has won awards for
another one of her other books as well.

Secrets is organized chronologically, beginning with the building
of the Hunley during the Civil War and ending in 2004 with the
burial of the remains of her crew. The pages in the chapters
about the search and recovery efforts are a different color than
those about the building and sinking, which makes finding specific
information easier. The book has a table of contents, an index,
and a glossary that are also helpful in finding information.

There are photographs and drawings on almost every page. Each
one has a caption that describes it. There are photographs of the
recovery process and some of the artifacts found in the Hunley.
There are also drawings, reproductions of paintings, and maps.
Some of the most striking photographs are those of the recon-
structions of the faces of the crew members that were created
by forensic artist Sharon Long.

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine is a 112-page book filled with
many details and a lot of technical information. Ms. Walker does
not hesitate to use scientific terminology that may not be
familiar to readers, but she explains it and defines it in the
glossary. It is clear that she is fascinated by the Hunley and by
scientific research. In her author’s note, Walker says that as she
was conducting her research for this book, she felt a connected
to the builders and the crew of the Hunley and also to the
scientists and historians who are studying her now. Walker
makes sure that her readers feel that same connection by
including details about the crew and objects found inside the
submarine, and about the recovery process used. She includes
amazing facts as well. Here are just two examples. (1) After
the Hunley sunk the USS Housatonic, it was fifty years until a
submarine again sunk an enemy ship during World War I.
(2) Crewman George E. Dixon should have died at Shiloh on
April 6, 1862, but his life was saved when the bullet struck a
gold coin given to him by his sweetheart. That coin was found
in the Hunley.

This book is an interesting read and a valuable resource and
reference for anyone interested in history or archaeology.


4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well
illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an
informative guide to anyone interested in the Hunley or intrigued
by archaeology.” — Carolyn Phelan

School Library Journal: “This is a finely crafted account of the
Hunley from its inception to the modern archaeological quest
to exhume her from the water…. The archaeological process is
well documented in both words and pictures, and the conclusions
are interesting and even surprising. Highly recommended for
school and public libraries.”--Anna M. Nelson

VOYA: "Walker skillfully combines history, science, and storytelling
in clear and accessible writing that will appeal to middle school
students as well as older readers. . . Abundant photographs and
illustrations are attractive and informative, and the layout is clean
and attention grabbing. . . Walker lets readers know the people
behind the facts . . . the Hunley is fascinating and should captivate
readers looking to savor a real-life historical mystery."



5. Connections

This book could be used in conjunction with a study of the Civil War
or of archaeology.

In an art class, students could recreate the molds made of the
crew.

Students could write letters or journal entries from the crew
members.

Other books about archaeology and the Hunley:

Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of Our Past by
Richard Panchyk. ISBN 978-1-556-52395-3

Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke. ISBN 978-0-064-45175-8

The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells: a Book About Archaeology
by Joanna Cole. ISBN 978-0-590-92242-5

Eyewitness: Archaeology by Jane McIntosh. ISBN 978-0-789-45864-3

Finding the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard. ISBN 978-0-590-47230-2

Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard. ISBN 978-0-590-41952-9

Shipwreck Search: Discovery of the H. L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker.
ISBN 978-0-822-56449-2

The Story of the H. L. Hunley and Queenie’s Coin by Fran Hawk.
ISBN 978-1-585-36218-9

Autumn Across America--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
LS5603.20, Genre 4—nonfiction.

1. Bibliography

Simon, Seymour. 1993. Autumn Across America. New York: Hyperion
Books for Children. ISBN 1-56282-467-8

2. Plot Summary

Autumn Across America shows and describes the fall season in
America. Simon discusses the changing colors of the leaves and what
causes the change. He talks about the migration of birds and the way
that insects and plants prepare for cooler weather. Simon shows that
autumn looks different in different parts of the country.

3. Critical Analysis

Autumn Across America is a beautiful book. Each brilliantly colored
photograph is a treat for the eye, whether it is a panoramic shot of
the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve or a close-up of a milkweed
plant scattering its tiny seeds. The photographs are the main
attraction of the book.

Simon includes correct scientific vocabulary in Autumn Across
America. He uses words like chlorophyll, photosynthesis, antho-
cyanins, deciduous, and equinox. In most cases, there is a brief
explanation of the scientific word in the text. Although the
information in the book is technically correct, it is presented in
a way that reads more like a textbook than a book to read aloud
and enjoy. The book does not use quotations or anecdotes or
interesting bits of information that grab the reader’s attention.
It just presents facts.

Autumn Across America is a relatively brief book (32 pages), but
it includes a lot of information. Because the pages are not num-
bered and there is not a table of contents or an index, the only
way to find information is to read through the book page by page.


4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “each turn of the page [is] a delightful shock, not unlike
the astonishment of seeing the first orange tree of fall.” “As usual,
Simon presents his subject with flair.” (Reviewed Nov. 15, 1993)—
Kathryn Broderick

School Library Journal: “A great deal of information is packed into
the dense text. It is clearly stated, but often requires conceptual-
ization beyond the reach of the intended audience. Since there is
no index and no table of contents, children looking for specific
information will be frustrated. The book's main attraction is its
design-beautiful photographs set in pages of glowing fall colors.
Seasonal materials are always in demand; this one is a good choice
for browsers.”--Louise L. Sherman


5. Connections

The photographs in this book would be a good way to introduce a
study of autumn.

Have students draw or make rubbings of fall leaves and write one
fact about fall on their pictures. Bind the pictures into a class
book. Make a book for each season.


Other books about the seasons:

Winter Across America by Seymour Simon. ISBN 978-0-786-80019-3

Reasons for Seasons by Gail Gibbons. ISBN 978-0-823-41238-9

Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno. ISBN 978-0-690-01287-3

Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn Mansfield Branley.

ISBN 978-0-060-59205-9

Seasons by Paul P. Sipiera and Diane M. Sipiera.
ISBN 978-0-516-26439-4

The Snake Scientist--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
LS5603.20, Genre 4—nonfiction.

1. Bibliography

Montgomery, Sy. 1999. The Snake Scientist. Photographs by Nic Bishop.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-87169-7

2. Plot Summary

The Snake Scientist is about the work of Bob Mason, a zoologist at
Oregon State University. There are chapters about his work with
snakes at the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area in Canada and at
his home, about the features that make snakes unique in the animal
kingdom, about his research into snake pheromones, and about how
snakes are useful to humans.


3. Critical Review

The Snake Scientist has won many awards including the International
Reading Association Award, Booklist Editor's Choice, and Orbis Pictus
Honor Book, among others. These awards are a good indication that
the book is well-written and accurate. The author herself is also
well-respected in the field of informational writing.


Sy Montgomery captures the reader’s attention from the very first
sentences of this book. She says, “You hear them before you see
them,” and then she describes the sound of the snakes as “a rustling
like wind in dry leaves.” Her sentence, “It’s the sound of thousands
of slithering snakes” brings to mind the sound of snakes hissing and
description of the snakes looking like moving ground would let the
reader know exactly what that many snakes together would look
like, even without the accompanying photograph.

Throughout the book, Montgomery uses interesting facts to keep
The Snake Scientist lively and interesting. She describes a bracelet
that Bob Mason wears that is made of snake bones. She also relates
the story of Mason’s career aptitude test that said he would not
make a good scientist. She uses that story to gently encourage
students to follow their dreams, saying that even tests can be wrong.

Montgomery does a good job of keeping the reader interested. She
uses quotes from Mason and some of his students and volunteers.
They are so excited and passionate about their work that it makes
the reader want to know more. She encourages that curiosity by
having questions throughout the book, including some that scientists
haven’t yet answered. Montgomery uses vocabulary appropriate
for a book about science, including technical terms like gas
chromatograph, pheromones, and mass spectrometer.


Nic Bishop’s photographs add to the visual appeal of the book, as
well as reinforcing the text by showing exactly what the writer is
saying. There are extreme close-up shots (a snake flicking its
forked tongue, another swallowing a tadpole, still another with its
mouth wide open and ready to strike), shots of thousands of snakes
in their den, and shots of scientists and volunteers working and
studying. Most of the pictures have a brief caption so that the
reader knows what he or she is seeing.

The book includes an index to help the reader locate information on
a specific topic. It also lists books for further study, information on
visiting the Narcisse snake dens, and a list of still-unanswered
questions about snakes.


4. Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: The lively text communicates both the
meticulous measurements required in this kind of work and the
thrill of new discoveries. Large, full-color photos of the zoologist
and young students at work, and lots of wriggly snakes, pull readers
into the presentation. A list of "unsolved mysteries" about the
snakes and instructions on visiting the snake dens will keep interest
high to the very last page.--Ruth S. Vose

Scientific American: “It may even make grown-ups want to grow
up to be scientists.” --Joan Silberlicht Epstein


Booklist: "A stellar example of how good such books can be."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Montgomery's zippy
text gives an engaging portrait of the scientific work, with assistants
weighing snakes in margarine tubs and putting them by the handful
into pillow cases, as well as the specific discoveries that Mason's
group has made…Mason's general and unstudied enthusiasm for
science in general will also galvanize many young readers…The
liveliness of the text and the synthesis of narrative and science make
this a particularly stellar entry."

About the author: "Sy Montgomery has insight into the Others that
every nature writer on this continent envies. I am no exception.
Clear, emotionally telling and always right to the point, her accounts
of the other forms of life are without peer.”—Farley Mowat, author of
Never Cry Wolf


5. Connections

Use this book as part of a science unit on reptiles in general or snakes in particular.

Make papier-mache snakes and paint them to look like the red-sided
garter or other snakes.

Use this book as a tool to teach reference skills like using an index.


Other books about snakes and reptiles:

I Wonder Why Snakes Shed Their Skins and Other Questions About
Reptiles by Amanda O’Neill. ISBN 978-0-753-40753-0

Slinky, Scaly Snakes by Jennifer A. Dussling. ISBN 978-0-789-43439-5

Snakes by Seymour Simon. ISBN 978-0-064-46165-8

100 Things You Should Know About Reptiles and Amphibians by Amy
Kay and Steve Parker. ISBN 978-0-760-75401-6

Out of the Dust--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
LS5603.20, Genre 3—poetry.

1. Bibliography

Hesse, Karen. 1997. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN 0-590-37125-8

2. Plot Summary

Out of the Dust is the story of two years in the life of a 14-year-old girl
named Billie Jo living in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. In addition to
the hardships of the Dust Bowl and the Depression, Billie Jo must

endure the pain of a fiery accident that kills her mother and leaves her

hands badly injured. The injury to her hands is an especially cruel blow
because she is a gifted pianist. The book describes Billie Jo’s struggles
against the dust and the Depression, against her mother and father,
against her injuries and the loss of her mother, and against herself. As
she matures, she begins to understand that hard times are more about
losing hope and giving up on dreams than about money or hardship. At
the end of the book, Billie Jo realizes that her struggles have made her
what she is and that what she is is good enough.

3. Critical Review

Out of the Dust is a beautifully written book and a winner of several major awards, including the Newbery Medal, the Scott O’Dell Award, School Library Journal Book of the Year, and ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The story about Billie Jo’s struggles during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s is very believable because of the detail presented in the story. Karen Hesse doesn’t just say that the dust blew. She describes turning the plates and glasses on the kitchen table over until dinner is ready and then picking them up to see the circles left in the dust. She talks about coughing up mud and about dust blowing in like a prairie
fire, turning midday to midnight.

Out of the Dust is filled with examples of effective use of imagery and figurative language. When Billie Jo sees her pregnant mother standing in the rain, she describes her as “round and ripe and striped like a melon.” She says that a great-uncle is “old as ancient Indian bones, and mean as a rattler.” When she is angry at her mother, she glares at her“with a scowl foul as maggoty stew.” When she is hungry, she says that her stomach “grizzled.” On almost every page there is imagery that appeals to the senses so that the reader can see and smell and taste and feel the dust.

Karen Hesse has chosen to write Out of the Dust in blank verse. The
poems do not rhyme and have lines of varying lengths, which is very
effective for the story she is telling. When asked why she sometimes
chooses to use blank verse and tell her stories with so few words, Hesse answered, “Anything that doesn’t move the story forward, anything that doesn’t contribute to the reader’s understanding of the character does not belong no matter how juicy the tidbit, how beautiful the writing.” (http://www.karenbeil.com/hesse-interview.html) In writing Out of the Dust, Hesse chose her tidbits well and left in plenty of beautiful writing. This book meets the definition of poetry as experience distilled.

Karen Hesse says that reading historical fiction is valuable because it
“gives us perspective . . . It gives us a safe place in which we can grow, transform, transcend. It helps us understand that sometimes the questions are too hard, that sometimes there are no answers, that sometimes there is only forgiveness” (Karen Beil interview). She has fulfilled that objective with Out of the Dust.



4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “The story is bleak, but Hesse’s writing transcends the
gloom and transforms it into a powerfully compelling tale of a girl
with enormous strength, courage, and love....blank verse [is] a superb
choice for bringing out the exquisite agony and delight to be found in
such a difficult period lived by such a vibrant character. It also spares
the reader the trouble of wading through pages of distressing text,
distilling all the experiences into brief, acutely observed phrases.
This is an excellent book for discussion,and many of the poems stand
alone sufficiently to be used as powerful supplements to a history
lesson." (Reviewed October 1, 1997)— Susan Lempke

Amazon.com: “Hesse won the 1998 Newbery Award for this elegantly
crafted, gut-wrenching novel….”--Gail Hudson

Publisher’s Weekly: "This intimate novel, written in stanza form,
poetically conveys the heat, dust and wind of Oklahoma. With each
meticulously arranged entry Hesse paints a vivid picture of her
heroine's emotions."

5. Connections

Out of the Dust would be an excellent addition to a unit of study on
the Dust Bowl. It would add vivid and personal details that would
make history come alive for students.

Students could use a map to trace different routes that people might
have taken from Oklahoma to California.

Any of the poems in Out of the Dust would be easily and effectively
presented as reader’s theater.

Other books about the Dust Bowl:

● Treasures in the Dust by Tracy Porter. ISBN 978-0-064-40770-0
● Children of the Dust Bowl: True Stories of the School at Weedpatch
Camp by Jerry Stanley. ISBN 978-0-517-88094-4
● Dust to Eat: Drought and Depression in the 1930s by Michael L. Cooper.
ISBN 978-0-618-15449-4
● Dust for Dinner by Ann Turner. ISBN 978-0-064-44225-1
●The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ISBN 978-0-679-42040-8

A Dime a Dozen--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for LS5603.20, Genre 3—poetry.

1. Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. 1998. A Dime a Dozen. Ill. by Angelo. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-8037-2227-3

2. Plot Summary

Nikki Grimes is the 2006 recipient of the NCTE Poetry Award. In this Junior Library Guild selection, she uses poems to tell about family members and childhood events that helped shape her life and lead her to become a writer. The book is divided into three sections: Genius, The Secret, and A Dime a Dozen. The first section deals with the author’s relationships with her family members and with her dream of becoming a writer. The overall impression of the section is that this is a loving family that encourages the author’s writing. When she wakes her sister up at night to share a new poem, the sister says, “We have a genius in the house.” The second section, The Secret, is about some problems that arise in the family. The parents are divorced, the father gambles and doesn’t keep his promises, the mother is depressed and drinks too much, and the children go to a foster home. The section ends on a note of hope when the author reveals her secret—that she knows that her parents still care for each other. A Dime a Dozen, the last section of the book, shows that the author is growing up and becoming more independent. She argues with her grandmother, refuses to eat food she doesn’t like, says she wants to be her own person like her father is, and promises that someday her mother will stop telling her that writers are a dime a dozen and be proud to say, “My daughter, the Writer.” The book has a table of contents which lists the three sections and the individual poem titles.

3. Critical Analysis

A Dime a Dozen is told in first person. It is the author’s story of growing up and wanting to become a writer. Because of the way the story is told, it is very authentic and believable. The author has feelings and emotions that are common to all young people. It is obvious that she loves her family, but is still sometimes angry with them (“The Last Word”) and disappointed by them (“Daddy’s Promises.”) She is also proud of them (“Self” and “Something New”) and worried about them (“Less Than Perfect.”) The author shows herself to be a strong person because she will not let anyone discourage her from becoming a writer. She is able to grow and change as the story progresses. In the first section of the book, she needs her sister’s approval to know that her poems are good, but by the last poem, she is listening to her own heart instead.

A Dime a Dozen is filled with figurative language and rich imagery. The author’s dream is “to poet/like a laser,/pierce darkness/with one word!” She accomplishes her goal by using phrases like “The choir paints/the sanctuary walls/with bands of sound/more glorious than gold” and “Mom’s shadow of a grin/brightens into/a smile so wide/I could dive/into her dimples/and disappear/for days/and not be missed.” Some of the poems use rhyme, but many are free verse, which makes them more effective because it is like the reader is just hearing the thoughts of the writer.

Angelo’s illustrations are pencil drawings that are so detailed and realistic that they look like black and white photographs. Each picture seems to be a perfect likeness of someone in the author’s family, based on her descriptions of them in the poems.

Each poem in A Dime a Dozen could stand alone because it expresses one thought or idea, but when they are collected together, they tell a compelling story of a young girl with a gift and the determination to use it.

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “The black-and-white drawings illustrating each poem reinforce the sense that the African Americans in the poems are vivid individuals, not fuzzy generalizations. Free-flowing and very accessible, the poetry may inspire readers to distill their own life experiences into precise, imaginative words and phrases.” (Reviewed December 1, 1998)— Susan Dove Lempke

School Library Journal: “Grimes's carefully crafted word placement matches the rhythms and messages of the poems. …emotion flows through these verses. The melodic rhythms gracefully sing when read aloud. Resembling photographs, the soft black-and-white illustrations portray the family members and offer images of the words without infringing on readers' imaginations or personal reactions to the poetry. A quietly profound, heartfelt work.”--Shawn Brommer

VOYA: “Through twenty-eight slice-of-life poems, Grimes tells a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story that comes alive with stunning black-and-white drawings by Angelo….The poems describe the emotional highs and lows that a young girl, aged probably eleven to fifteen, experiences as her parents go through divorce.”



5. Connections

Use this book to invite young people to share their own hopes and dreams, and to talk about achieving them in spite of circumstances or other people’s opinions.

Read the poems aloud. Some of them would work well as call-and-response readings, especially “Family Movers” and “The Last Word.”

From Nikki Grimes’ website (http://www.nikkigrimes.com/poems.html):
●have students create a poster or other display depicting their dreams
●play a charades game performing an action from one of the poems (playing hopscotch, chopping food, moving furniture, etc.) and let other students name the poem that goes with the action

A Pizza the Size of the Sun--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
LS5603.20, Genre 3—poetry.


1. Bibliography

Prelutsky, Jack. 1994. A Pizza the Size of the Sun. Ill. by James Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0-688-13236-7

2. Plot Summary

Jack Prelutsky, named Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation on September 27, 2006 (http://www.jackprelutsky.com/), has written a collection of 105 funny poems about animals, siblings, and other experiences of childhood. Most of the poems are illustrated by James Stevenson’s ink drawings.

3. Critical Review

A Pizza the Size of the Sun is made up completely of poems by a single author, Jack Prelutsky, and illustrated by James Stevenson. Prelutsky’s work is familiar to and loved by most school children because of its humor and the unexpected twist at the end of many of the poems. There are no chapters or divisions within the book. The order of the poems seems to be random, and could probably be rearranged without losing meaning or enjoyment. The book has one index arranged by title and one arranged by first line, which is a very helpful feature since the order is random and the first line and title are different in some of the poems.

One poem in the collection that is universal and timeless is “Hurry Grandma Hurry.” The narrator urges Grandma to watch while he engages in childhood antics like swinging from a tree, skating backwards in the street, eating bugs, and climbing ladders. When Grandma reacts in typical grandma fashion by fainting, the child is puzzled.

Prelutsky uses puns and word play in many of the poems in this collection. One good example is “I Hide My Dromedary:”

I hide my dromedary
inside of our garage,
my parents don't suspect it's there...
it's wearing camel-flage.

Some of the most interesting poems in the collection make unusual use of the arrangement of words on the page. “I Am Your Mirror Image” is written backwards so that the easiest way to read it is by holding the book up to a mirror. In “Reverso Is Name My” the words are not a mirror image, but the lines must be read from right to left in order to make sense. “I Was Walking in a Circle” is a never-ending poem that encourages the reader to turn the book in a circle to read the poem.

James Stevenson's illustrations add to the fun of the book. The cartoon-like drawings show what is happening in the poems. The faces of the people and animals shown are very expressive and show their reactions to the sometimes silly situations.

Whether read a few at a time or all at once, the poems in A Pizza the Size of the Sun are fun and entertaining.



4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “…another magical anthology of light verse....The verse finds perfect visual expression in Stevenson’s witty ink drawings touched with gray wash. A delightful addition to poetry collections that will not stay on the shelf for long.” (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1996) — Carolyn Phelan

Publisher’s Weekly: “Prelutsky's predilection for playfulness percolates throughout this collection of slyly subversive rhymes, and he couldn't ask for a better partner in crime than Stevenson, whose droll, minimalist sketches so enlivened the duo's previous escapades The pages are peppered with kinetic black-and-white drawings; like Thurber, Stevenson wrings a wealth of humor and emotion out of a few dashes of ink. If a laugh is what's needed, just hand over the keys and let these two drive.”

School Library Journal: “Perfect for reading aloud or alone, it will be reached for again and again by teachers, parents, kids, librarians, and anyone else who likes poems that make them chuckle. As a matter of fact, this book should be required reading for those out there who claim they don't like poetry. If you can only afford one poetry collection this year, make it this one.” — Carrie Schadle

Bookpage.com: (also quoted on the back cover of the book) “Here is another wondrously rich, varied, clever -- and always funny -- collection. Meet Miss Misinformation, Swami Gourami, and Gladiola Gloppe (and her Soup Shoppe), and delight in a backwards poem, a poem that never ends, and scores of others that will be chanted, read, and loved by readers of every age. The Prelutsky-Stevenson duo is irresistible. Whether you begin at the beginning or just open the book at random, you won't stop smiling.”



5. Connections

Jack Prelutsky’s website ( http://www.jackprelutsky.com/ ) has a wealth of ideas for classroom and home activities based on his poems. Some of the ideas include making a paper or cloth quilt out of favorite poems, setting poems to music, putting on plays based on poems, and having a Jack Prelutsky poetry contest with themes like silly people, strange animals or imaginary creatures. The website also features children’s letters to Prelutsky and their portraits of him.

Other books by Jack Prelutsky:

The New Kid on the Block. ISBN 978-0-688-02271-6
Something Big Has Been Here .ISBN 978-0-688-06434-1
Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant. ISBN 978-0-060-54317-4
The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders. ISBN 978-0-688-16719-6
In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden. ISBN 978-0-066-23868-5
It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles. ISBN 978-0-060-29194-5

Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for LS5603.20, Genre 2—traditional literature.

1. Bibliography

McKissack, Patricia. 2006. Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters. Ill. by André Carrilho. New York: Schwartz & Wade. ISBN 0-375-83619-5

2. Plot Summary

This book is a collection of “porch lies”—humorous, exaggerated stories based on tales that the author heard as a child while sitting on her grandparents’ front porch in Tennessee. There are ten stories, including stories about: a man who manages to get free pies from two different women, one who never pays for anything even though everyone knows that he has a hundred-dollar bill in his pocket, one who wins an argument with the devil and decides that his mama was right all along, and one who wins a lying contest by telling the truth. Other stories are about a granny who adopts Frank and Jesse James, a man whose life is saved by the weight of a feather, one who protects himself from the King of the Ghosts with an earth bone, and one poor soul who has died twenty-seven times. Each story stands alone, with the exception of the last two, which combine to tell the story of one man.

3. Critical Review

Porch Lies is a collection of ten stories. The common thread that runs throughout the book is that the stories are ones that were told on the porch of the author’s grandparents when she was a child. They are not familiar stories, but they mention some familiar people (Frank and Jesse James) and they involve some familiar themes like making deals with the devil, weighing a soul with a feather, and departed spirits returning to earth. The stories occur in the South, but they are universal. They could happen anywhere because they are really about human nature, not about a specific area of the country. Each story is relatively short and has just a few characters. The plot moves along quickly and is very easy to follow. Each story in the collection is briefly introduced by McKissack. She mentions the original storyteller and sets the scene for the story. Unlike some traditional literature, the stories mention specific dates. Often the storyteller figures out the date when the story occurred by linking the time to events in his own life, as people in real life often do. (“I’ll always remember the year, ‘cause it was ‘fore baby Lucille was born in ‘forty and after sister Cinty got hooked up with that notorious John Henry George in ‘thirty-eight. Yes, it was nineteen thirty-nine.”) The book has a table of contents and an author’s note, but no other reference information.

Typical of the stories is The Best Lie Ever Told, a tale about Dooley Hunter, “who won the state liar’s contest five consecutive years—that’s in a row—one, two, three, four, five.” The story uses dialogue that is believable. The reader can almost hear the southern accents when McKissack uses words like “‘bout” and “gotcha” and “hollerin’.” She injects humor in unexpected ways. In describing the main character of the story, she says that Dooley had “all twenty hairs combed, and every one of his four teeth brushed.” She describes his appearance while he is on stage at the liar’s contest by saying that his eyes “looked like a deer’s in the headlights,” and “Dooley looked like a lump on a log.” Who needs a picture with a description like that?

The stories in McKissack’s book are pure entertainment, but each one manages to convey a lesson about human nature along with the laughter.

André Carrilho has illustrated each story with one black and white picture. The people in the pictures are cartoon-like caricatures. Their exaggerated features help emphasize the exaggerated nature of the stories. Porch Lies is the first children’s book that he has illustrated.

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “Without using dialect, her intimate folk idiom celebrates the storytelling among friends, neighbors, and family as much as the stories themselves….In black and white, Carrilho’s full-page illustrations—part cartoon, part portrait in silhouette—combine realistic characters with scary monsters.…In surprising twists and turns that are true to trickster tradition, the weak and exploited beat powerful oppressors with the best lies ever told. Great for sharing, on the porch and in the classroom.” — Hazel Rochman

The Washington Post: “Grand fun for reading aloud.”

School Library Journal: “…stories make for great leisure listening and knowing chuckles.…Great fun to read aloud and the tricksters, sharpies, slicksters, and outlaws wink knowingly at the child narrators, and at us foolish humans.”--Susan Heple

5. Connections
This is a book that should be read aloud. After hearing the stories, children would enjoy presenting a reader’s theater with one or more of them.
Ask students about any family stories or legends that they may have.

Also by Patricia McKissack:
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural.
ISBN: 0-679-81863-4
Goin’ Someplace Special. ISBN: 0689818858
Mirandy and Brother Wind. ISBN: 0394887654
Color Me Dark. ISBN: 0-590-51159-9

By Patricia and Frederick McKissack:
African-American Inventors. ISBN: 1-56294-468-1
Black Diamond. ISBN: 0-590-45809-4
Black Hands, White Sails: the Story of African-American Whalers.
ISBN: 0-590-48313-7
Carter G. Woodson: the Father of Black History. ISBN: 0-7660-1698-6
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.
ISBN: 0-590-43027-0

The Rough-Face Girl--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for LS5603.20, Genre 2—traditional literature.

1. Bibliography

Martin, Rafe. 1992. The Rough-Face Girl. Ill. by David Shannon. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0-590-46932-0

2. Plot Summary

Author Rafe Martin calls The Rough-Face Girl an Algonquin Indian Cinderella. In his retelling, there is an Invisible Being who lives in the village, and who is said to be great and rich, powerful and handsome. All of the women of the village want to marry him, but his sister says that only the girl who has seen him will be acceptable as a wife. The Rough-Face Girl’s two proud sisters talk their father into giving them new clothes so that they can go and marry the Invisible Being. When his sister questions them, she realizes that they have not seen him and rejects them. When the Rough-Face Girl (so named because she tended the fire all day and was scorched and burned by it) asks for new clothes as well, her father has nothing left to give except some broken shells and his old moccasins. The Rough-Face Girl accepts them gratefully and goes to the Invisible Being’s wigwam, noticing the beauty of nature as she walks. When she is able to answer questions asked by the sister of the Invisible Being, he himself comes into the wigwam. He tells her to bathe in the river and she does, which causes all of her scars to disappear. She dresses in beautiful clothing and marries the Invisible Being and “they lived together in great gladness and were never parted.”

3. Critical Review

The Rough-Face Girl meets the criteria of traditional literature in that it is an old story with no known author. In the author’s note, Martin says that it was originally part of a longer traditional story of the Algonquin. As is usual in traditional literature, character development is limited. The Rough-Face Girl represents selflessness and honesty, while the sisters demonstrate pride and deceit. In the end, selflessness and honesty are rewarded. The story has a typical folklore beginning (Once, long ago….) and ending (“They lived together in great gladness and were never parted.)

The Rough-Face Girl is a well-written story. Martin makes use of figurative language (“…many stars came glittering out like a fiery veil….”, “…her voice was swift as lightening and strong as thunder.), believable dialogue, and unexpected insight (when the two beautiful sisters say that anyone could tell that they have seen the Invisible Being because they are beautiful, the reader realizes that it is true that beauty is often equated with virtue.)

David Shannon’s illustrations for The Rough-Face Girl are beautiful. They are almost surrealistic in style, very detailed, but dream-like, which emphasizes the long-ago-and-far-away aspect of the story. It is interesting to see how Shannon manages to paint something invisible by using elements of nature. There is a funny aspect to one of the pictures where the Rough-Face Girl is walking through the village on her way to the tipi of the Invisible Being. The villagers are making fun of her because of her ragged appearance, and even the dog appears to be laughing. Shannon’s illustrations definitely add to the appeal of this book.


4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “Shannon’s dramatic, full-color paintings are striking and often rich in atmosphere….Given the beauty of the story, the strength of many of the illustrations, and the current interest in comparing variants of folktales from different cultures, libraries will find this a well-used picture book.” (Reviewed Apr. 15, 1992)--Carolyn Phelan

Kirkus Reviews: “a strong, distinctive tale with art to match.”


Publisher’s Weekly: “Shannon paints powerful, stylized figures and stirring landscapes, heightening their impact with varied use of mist, shadows and darkness. His meticulous research is evident in intricate details of native dress and lodging. …the drama of these haunting illustrations--and of Martin's respectful retelling--produce an affecting work.”

School Library Journal: “…a splendid read-aloud.” -- Susan Scheps



5. Connections

The Rough-Face Girl would be easily adapted to a reader’s theater script, with minimal props required.

Read other Cinderella variants from around the world. There is a partial list with brief descriptions of each book at http://childrensbooks.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=childrensbooks&cdn=parenting&tm=62&gps=172_901_1021_429&f=00&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.ala.org/ala/booklinksbucket/multicultural.htm
The website also has suggestion for activities, including using a map and marking the countries or areas from which the stories come.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet: an Old Tale of Texas--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for LS5603.20, Genre 2—traditional literature.

1. Bibliography

DePaola, Tomie. 1983. The Legend of the Bluebonnet: an Old Tale of Texas. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0-399-20938-7


2. Plot Summary

The Legend of the Bluebonnet is the story of a young Comanche orphan, named She-Who-Is-Alone. Her parents and grandparents have died because of a drought and famine. The one thing she has that reminds her of her family is a doll that her mother made for her from buckskin, beads, bone, and the feathers of a blue jay. In order to find out what has angered the Great Spirits and caused the drought and famine, the shaman goes to the top of the hill. When he comes back, he tells the people that the Spirits demand the sacrifice of the most valued possession in the tribe. No one else is willing to sacrifice, but She-Who-Is-Alone takes her doll, burns it and scatters the ashes as a gift to the Spirits. When the Comanche wake up in the morning, the hillsides are covered with flowers as blue as the feathers worn by the doll, and soon the rains begin to fall. Because of her sacrifice, the girl’s name is changed to One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her People.


3. Critical Analysis

The Legend of the Bluebonnet is an example of traditional literature. It is specific to the Comanche culture and to Texas and it emphasizes values that are important to that culture—sacrifice and unselfishness. In spite of the title, it is really more of a pourquoi tale or a myth than a legend. It attempts to explain why an event in nature (the bluebonnets covering the land in the spring) happens. Legends typically deal with actual historical persons, and One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People has no historical basis in fact. In this story, she is used as a symbol of sacrifice and unselfishness. Her character is not fully developed. The reader knows very little about her except that she has no family and she is willing to sacrifice for her people. It is interesting to note that in the story, she speaks only to her doll and to the Great Spirits, not to other members of the tribe.

There is very little said about the setting of The Legend of the Bluebonnet. The reader knows that the story happens in Texas, but the story gives no other details. No specific time is mentioned, but since bluebonnets have been blooming for many hundreds of years, the reader knows that the story happened a long time ago. Time in the story passes very quickly. The story itself takes place in just a few days, and then the story jumps from ancient times to the present day in two sentences (“And every spring, the Great Spirits remember the sacrifice of a little girl and fill the hills and valleys of the land, now called Texas, with the beautiful blue flowers. Even to this very day.”)

The illustrations in The Legend of the Bluebonnet add to the beauty of the story. The colors are brilliant and there is a lot of attention paid to detail, especially in the clothing and the decorations on the tipis. The detail helps give the reader a feel for the culture of the Comanche. The pictures of the landscape reinforce the story in two interesting ways. The ground and hills are completely brown at the beginning, and then gradually change to a beautiful green covered with bluebonnets after She-Who-Is-Alone makes her sacrifice. The other way that the pictures reinforce the story is that She-Who-Is-Alone is not shown as part of the group until the end of the book. She is alone, even is she is in the same picture, until the scene where the bluebonnets are blooming. Then, reflecting her name change, she is no longer alone, but with the people she loves.


4. Review Excerpts

Children’s Literature: “Tomie dePaola provides a charming retelling of the Native American legend about the origin of Texas' state flower, the bluebonnet.”

School Library Journal: “…a solemn, simply-told tale, and the concept of an unselfish parting with a prized possession is one to which children will readily relate….the full-color paintings are nicely staged with well-executed design and color.”

Booklist: “….simple prose that plaintively tugs at the heart. The simplicity and beauty of the story echoes in dePaola’s effectively composesd illustrations. An ideal complement to native American and Texas studies, this also opens avenues too discussion with its provocative sacrifice theme.”

Horn Book: “Terse, uncomplicated prose [and] clean, uncluttered pictures filled with warm, rich colors.”


5. Connections

Companion book (also by Tomie dePaola): The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. ISBN 978-0399215346

After reading the two books, have students choose a name for themselves based on a characteristic that they possess or on something that they have done.

Make a popcorn bluebonnet. Instructions at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/kids/fun_stuff/arts_and_crafts/hill_country_2popcornbluebonnet.phtml

Use the book as part of a study of Texas history.

Ask students about their most valued possession. Let them draw a picture of it and write underneath it “This______ is very valuable to me because______.” Bind their pages together to make a class book. Adapt writing assignment for older students. (http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/crossroads/sec3/k2/unit1/u1g1l1.html)

My Friend Rabbit--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for LS5603.20, Genre 1.


1. Bibliography


Rohmann, Eric. 2002. My Friend Rabbit. New York, NY: Scholastic.
ISBN 0-439-57930-9

2. Plot Summary

Rabbit causes trouble for his animal friends when his friend Mouse's toy airplane gets stuck in a tree and they have to have help getting it down.

3. Critical Analysis


Eric Rohmann is the author and illustrator of this very engaging book about friendship. The tone of the book is set in the very first pages, where Mouse says that his friend Rabbit means well, but that trouble follows wherever Rabbit goes. The rest of the story proves Mouse's point. Rohmann does not make use of controlled vocabulary, but the illustrations provide such excellent clues to meaning that most children would probably be able to read most of the book themselves, especially if they had heard it read aloud. I imagine that children would take great delight in joining in Rabbit's repeated attempts to reassure Mouse by saying, "Not to worry, Mouse. I've got an idea." Several times in the book, Rohmann continues a sentence from one page to the next, pulling the reader along further into the story. He also begins and ends the book with almost the identical sentences, suggesting that Rabbit will probably get into trouble again, and that even if he does he will still be Mouse's friend.


My Friend Rabbit is not a wordless picture book, but the pictures predominate and could almost stand alone in telling the story. The colors are bold and bright, and the animals are outlined with thick black lines. The animals' expressions show emotions appropriate for the text--annoyance, confusion, fright, anger, and happiness. The first time that we hear Rabbit say, "Not to worry, Mouse" it is obvious from the look on Mouse's face that it is not the first time that he has heard it--and Rohmann accomplishes that with two vertical lines drawn over Mouse's head. On one page the illustration extends the text by including lines of dialogue with the pictures. In the scene where Rabbit has stacked the animals one on top of the other, the reader turns the book sideways so that the tower seems really tall. The illustrations definitely add humor to the book. Rabbit and Mouse trying to get a rhinoceros to stand up while the rhinoceros digs in his front feet so hard that he is plowing up the ground is priceless, as is the scene where Mouse has fallen into line with the ducklings. This a book that children would love to hear, to read and read again.

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist: "...smart, sassy object lesson.... Tremendous physical humor delivers a gentle lesson about accepting friends as they are. " (Reviewed by Connie Fletcher)


Publishers Weekly: "This gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will leave young readers clamoring for repeat readings. (Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.)


School Library Journal: "The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here." (Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.)

5. Connections

Use this book to invite children to talk or write about what it means to be a friend, or about a time when they had to help a friend solve a problem.

Other books about friendship:


Pfister, Marcus. The Rainbow Fish. ISBN 1-558-58536-2
Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. ISBN 0-060-25665-6
Chodos-Irvine, Margaret. Best Best Friends. ISBN 0-15-205694-7
Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Collection. ISBN 0-060-58086-0
Milne, A. A. Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh. ISBN 0-525-46726-2