Module 15: Lush by Natasha Friend

Friend, N. (2006). Lush. New York: Scholastic Press.

BOOK SUMMARY

In addition to dealing with the typical problems and concerns that arise during the early teenage years, Sam is weighed down by the fact that her father is an alcoholic, something she doesn't think anyone she knows can understand.  In a strange twist of fate, she connects with a stranger who irks her, and yet understands her, in a way no one else does.  As events at home escalate, Sam reaches out to her secret friend to help her sort through the complex emotions she is feeling.  In the end, she discovers she might not be the only one struggling.

Impressions and opinion of the book

Many teens are faced with alcoholism and yet, the subject still seems to be somewhat taboo in middle or even YA literature.  At most, we are confronted with teen drinking; rarely have I encountered a book that delves into the issues a child faces from a parent consumed with alcohol addiction.  Friend broaches the topic in a relevant, yet poignant manner.  She does not sugar coat the subject matter, but she does not sensationalize it, either.  The emphasis is more on the emotions Sam feels due to her father's actions as opposed to focusing on her father's actions.

Friend also gives a peek into the entire family dynamic, speaking to the fact that each member is  affected in a way unique to their relationship with Sam's father.  The fear Sam feels at the discovery of her father's alcoholism by others is a feeling that can be relatable to anyone who thinks they are harboring family secrets.  Friend does not end the novel with everything working out perfectly.  There is no neat little bow to wrap it up.  Still, she shows that families can work through difficulties, and friends can be more accepting and forgiving than we give them credit for.

Full-Text Review

After years of pretending she has a “normal” family, a worried teen finally confronts her father’s alcoholism. Thirteen-year-old Samantha knows her father has a drinking problem, but her parents seem oblivious. Sam’s father makes empty promises to stop drinking while her mother immerses herself in yoga classes, defending her husband as a “good man.” Although Sam carefully camouflages the situation by inviting friends over only when her father’s away, his binges are getting worse and she’s afraid he will lose control. Desperate to confide in someone other than her friends, Sam leaves notes in the library asking for advice from an older girl she doesn’t really know. When her drunken father injures her little brother and the family’s future is jeopardized, Sam must deal with anger and uncertainty as she makes some surprising discoveries about her family, her friends and herself. Sam comes across as a savvy as well as naïve teen who tells her own story with humor, honesty and hope. Realistic family drama. (Fiction. 12-15)

Kirkus (2006). [Review for the book Lush by Natasha Friend].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/natasha-friend/lush/

Library Use

Broaching topics such as alcoholism or abuse with students can be difficult.  Pre and early teens are developmentally wired to be concerned with what others think about them.  Creating a safe haven in which such topics can be explored is needed, but it's not always easy to find a way where one can show the students these resources are available without singling them out or making them uncomfortable.  Chances are, like Sam, these are the kinds of things students will keep to themselves.

A possible way to highlight Lush and other works like it would be to create a rotating book case called "Exploring the Hard Topics."  There could be a different topic for each shelf (ie: alcoholism, stress, death, college, etc.)  On each shelf, there could be fiction and non-fiction books related to the topic.  Every few weeks, the topics could change, and this would give students an opportunity to see what books they might relate to.  Changing out the shelves would also give students a chance to check out the book later if they are concerned someone might connect them to the topic.  Just knowing it is available, they could wait until the topics have changed.  Perhaps there could be a place where students could even suggest other books that have helped them to deal with and better understand hard topics they are facing.

Module 3: Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall/illustrated by Barbara Cooney

Hall, D. & Cooney, B. (1979). Ox-cart man. New York: Viking Press.

Summary

The journey of a hard-working man and his family, Ox-Cart Man follows a man as he takes things to the market to sell.  While at the market, he purchases new items that he takes home to his family, who use the new purchases to create new things for the market.  He sells everything, down to the ox, and the cycle begins again.

Impressions of the book- 

Similar to many children's books, Ox-Cart Man follows the cycle of an everyday occurrence, giving the reader insight into how things are related and connect to one another.  The refreshing thing about Hall's telling is that it doesn't start at the beginning of the cycle.  Instead, the reader meets the family in October as they are loading the wagon and the father is taking everything to sell at market.  The reader follows as he sells all the items his family has made throughout the year, and then as he buys new supplies and heads home.  The story could logically end here, but Hall takes it one step further, showing how the items the man has purchased are used by each family member throughout the year to make new items to take to market.  Where many stories begin with the making, Hall chose to end this way, further emphasizing the cycle and putting a simple, yet poignant twist on an otherwise familiar story.

Professional Review

Like a pastoral symphony translated into picture book format, the stunning combination of text and illustrations re-creates the mood of nineteenth-century rural New England. Economical and straightforward, the narrative achieves a poetic tone through the use of alliteration and  repetition, as in the description of the ox-cart man’s preparations for his journey to Portsmouth. “He packed a bag of wool / he sheared from the sheep in April. / He packed a shawl his wife wove on a loom/ from yarn spun at the spinning wheel / from sheep sheared in April.” As an appropriate contrast, the full-color illustrations, suggesting early American paintings on wood, depict the countryside through which he travels, the jostle of the marketplace, and the homely warmth of family life. The various phenomena of the New England landscape —  the vibrant foliage of autumn, the lurid sunsets of winter, the delicate abundance of an orchard in spring — evoke the pattern of a lifestyle geared to the rhythm of the seasonal cycle. Quiet but not static, the book celebrates the peacefulness of a time now past but one which is still, nevertheless, an irrefutable part of the American consciousness.

Horn Book (1980). [Review of the book Ox-cart man by D. Hall and B. Cooney]. Retrieved from     http://www.hbook.com/2013/10/news/awards/horn-book-reviews-caldecott-medal-winners-1980-1989/

Library Use

While it would be easy to use this book to discuss sequencing, cycles, and cause and effect, a less obvious though not completely unexpected choice would be to explore the illustrations and the illustrator who created them.  The book was, after all, the Caldecott winner in 1980.

The pictures seem to come from the same simple bygone era they represent in the story of the Ox-Cart man and his family.  However, multiple interviews from the Horn Book throughout the last few decades highlight how difficult it was for Barbara Cooney to actually create artwork for picturebooks, and the limitations that the technology of the time put on illustrators.   Her process of researching and creating her artwork is also explored.   An illustrator study of many of Cooney's works, as well as a look into the history of printmaking and picturebook making would be a great tie-in for Ox-Cart Man.  Below are the links and references to a few of the interviews and articles I stumbled upon that might assist in such a lesson.

Zuckerman, L. (2001). Letters to the Editor. Horn Book Magazine, 77(1), 3-4.

http://www.hbook.com/2012/11/authors-illustrators/making-picture-books-the-pictures/

http://www.hbook.com/2000/09/authors-illustrators/barbara-cooney/

Module 14: Hidden by Helen Frost

Frost, H. (2011). Hidden. Harrisonburg, Virginia: RR Donnelley & Sons Company.

BOOK SUMMARY

As a young girl, Wren is accidentally kidnapped in a gas station robbery gone wrong.  Darra, the daughter of the unintended kidnapper, connects with the girl, despite the fact that she never sees her. Six years later, the two end up crossing paths again at the same summer camp, each ultimately having to face their past so that they can move on from the events that haunt them both in their own ways.

Impressions and opinion of the book

The premise of Helen Frost's book is as unique as is the style in which she presents it.  Anyone doubting the power a novel written in verse might hold should definitely pick up this book.  The kidnapping of Wren is the catalyst for many changes in both girls lives, and while we learn what happens through flashbacks, the emphasis of the story is actually on how the girls have carried their past with them, Darra harboring anger towards the girl who caused her father to be taken away, and Wren trying to deny the past even happened.  When the two meet again, they are forced to work through the feelings they have shored up, ultimately learning pieces of the story they never knew.

Frost beautifully delineates between characters, giving them each their own poetic form.   The title encompasses so many elements of the story, from the child, Wren, who remains hidden to survive, to the facts that keep Darra certain she could have prevented her father from being arrested.  Even the initial friendship of the girls as they begin to work through their fear and anger is a secret from the rest of the people at camp.  In addition, Frost creates a hidden poem within the story, revealed only to those who read the author's note at the end.  

The sense of connection one gets to the main characters as well as the multiple layers within the novel make this one that students will be eager to analyze and reanalyze, most likely finding something new with each reading.

Full-Text Review

From the award-winning Frost comes a wildly imaginative, thought-provoking novel in verse that centers on the unlikely friendship that arises between two teenage girls as a result of an accidental kidnapping. Darra Monson’s father, an abusive, unemployed mechanic, steals a minivan, not knowing that 8-year-old Wren Abbott, daughter of the local school superintendent, lies hidden in the back. Told entirely from her perspective, Wren’s unwitting capture and eventual escape comprise the first third of the story before the narration switches to Darra, who relates how her father is caught and imprisoned, all the while blaming Wren for his arrest. Though from opposite sides of the tracks, Darra and Wren’s paths cross again six years later at summer camp, where the 14-year-olds see each other for the first time. Slowly the two begin to unpack that uninvited trauma. After breaking the ice and overcoming Wren’s nearly drowning Darra, the two begin to talk, and Frost’s lyric narrative resolves movingly by alternating between the two protagonists. Frost’s tale exhibits her trademark character development that probes the complexities of intimate relationships. Here Wren’s touching statement, “I was a happy little girl / wearing a pink dress,” eventually leads to Darra’s private admission to Wren: “None of it was our fault.” Both tender and insightful, this well-crafted, fast-paced tale should have wide teen appeal. (notes on form) (Poetry. 10-16)

Kirkus (2011). [Review for the book Hidden by H. Frost ].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/helen-frost/hidden-frost/ 

Library Use

At the end of the novel, Helen Frost mentions that while she has studied many forms of poetry, she likes to create her own.  She even states that she has done so in many of her books.  Upon the completion of their poetry unit in the classroom, it would be fun to introduce students to some of the forms Frost has created, perhaps even asking them to try and determine what structure she used.  After analyzing her new forms, allowing students to create their own forms and emulate the newly created styles of their classmates would surely generate a new kind of excitement around poetry and verse.

Module 13: Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

• Meyer, L. A. (2002). Bloody Jack: Being an account of the curious adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy. San Diego: Harcourt.

Summary

Mary Faber is a child during the early 19th century.  Orphaned early on, she is left to navigate the London streets on her own.  Eventually, she seizes an opportunity to work aboard a British Naval ship, but in order to do so, she must disguise herself as a boy.  The potential for discovery adds great tension as the newly christened Jacky must carry her weight as a new ship "boy."  Her new role offers her a stability she has never known, and the challenges of living on the seas gives her a chance to become something she never could on the streets.  Will the growth be enough, though, for a girl to survive living in a man's world?

Impressions and Opinions of the Books

The story of Bloody Jack reminded me, at times, of Avi's True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle as well as Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking.  However, the fact that Jacky is a girl disguised as a boy adds a layer of complexity to the story line that really highlights and brings to the surface the differences in the way males and females were treated at this point in history.  

Meyer confronts some pretty ugly truths of this period in time, refusing to shy away from the ugliness of street orphans and the despair that came from a city plighted by death.  She also has a way of immersing the reader into another time and place by using language and colloquialisms common to the day.  The story is much darker and the subject matter more intense than I initially thought it would be, and there are all the pieces of an adventure tale, from war and pirates to murder and even attempted rape.  The epic journey is intended for a mature audience, for sure, but the up close view into history and the unique perspective provided make it a worthwhile read.

Full-Text Review

Posing as a lad in the late 1790s, a spunky orphan girl secures a job as a ship’s boy in the British Navy, a position that becomes compromised by her evolving maturity and love for a fellow crewmember. Meyer, a debut novelist, has penned a rousing old-time girl’s adventure story, with an outsized heroine who is equal parts gutsy and vulnerable, then sets her loose on a pirate-hunting vessel in the high seas. The novel is full of action and derring-do, but the real suspense is generated by maintaining what the heroine calls “The Deception,” her disguise as a boy. Initially, it’s fairly easy because Jacky, as the heroine decides to call herself, is as flat-chested, hairless, and high-voiced as the rest of the boys. She simulates using the ship’s head, imitating the boys’ “shake-and-wiggle action” and even creates a faux penis out of cloth under her drawers, so that she’s as “well rigged out” as the rest of the lads. Clever and courageous, Jacky deals with both the ship’s bully and pedophile, fights pirates valiantly, and manages to save the day for her shipmates, enabling them to secure the buccaneers’ booty. Jacky is such a marvelous creation that the other characters feel shadowy in comparison, and the least engaging parts of the novel involve her secret romance with a fellow ship’s boy. Capped by a fitting but bittersweet ending, the first-person narrative shines, and a wealth of historical research is seamlessly knitted into the material. A first-rate read. (Fiction. 12+)

Kirkus (2002). [Review of the book Bloody Jack:being an account of the curious adventures of Mary "Jacky"
      Faber, ship's boy]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/la-meyer/bloody-jack/

Library Uses

Bloody Jack was not at all the story I expected it to be, and I think it would be interesting to bring home the "you can't judge a book by its cover" adage using this book.  A simple activity for high school students would be to show students just the front cover and have them predict a summary of the book without any other information, writing what they think they would read on the back cover. Similar to Balderdash, then the different student created summaries could be read, along with the real summary, and students would have to vote for the one they think is correct.  It would also be a roundabout way of doing a book trailer; without ever reading the book to them, students would be enticed to pick it up on their own.

Module 12: Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol by Bonnie Christensen

Christensen, Bonnie. (2011). Fabulous : a portrait of Andy Warhol. New York :Henry Holt.

Summary

Andy Warhol is different from other kids, but he does not allow this to get in the way of his talent.  Through the support of his mother, art teachers, and later in life, a collective of friends, Andy overcomes adversity to become an iconic figure in the world of art, as well as the world of pop culture of which he so highly admired.

Impressions and Opinions of the Books

Christensen manages to present a figure that could easily be seen as inappropriate for children to learn about in a manner that is not only appropriate, but also in a manner that does not detract from the man that Andy Warhol was.  She shares information about his difficult childhood, from his early illness to the death of his father to his cultural background.  Christensen has a way of humanizing Warhol in a way that I have not seen before, showing him, at times, to be so quiet and demure.  When I draw to mind an image of Warhol, I see the man who is looking for the spotlight and more than his fifteen minutes of fame.

Without taking away from the magnitude of who Warhol was or what he created, Christensen makes Warhol not only relatable, but someone to be admired for more than just the art that he created.  The graphic design is a constant reminder of Warhol's unique style and the story gives dimension to the entire being of Andy Warhol. 

Full-Text Review

The “fabulous” life of Andy Warhol is made accessible and understandable via this child-friendly look at the life and career of one of America’s most recognizable painters.

Shy, sickly Andy spent many lonely hours resting in bed. Warhol’s mother understood his uniqueness, and instead of forcing him to attend school, stand up to bullies or play sports, she unfailingly nurtured his talents and accepted and supported his interests. Andy attended art classes at the Carnegie Museum art school in Pittsburgh and was encouraged by teachers who also recognized his promise. Comics, movie magazines, glamorous superstars and luminous icons from his Eastern Orthodox parish church fueled his imagination. Christensen effectively re-imagines Warhol’s unmistakable style for 21st-century kids while offering a developmentally appropriate take on Warhol’s life. She focuses on his early graphic work and the exciting, transformative era of Pop Art. She conveys the explosive impact of his Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn as she discretely limns the early activities of “The Factory.”

Though readers will need to consult the backmatter for the details of the more complex and tumultuous years from the mid-’60s to his death in 1987, they will find this a vital and exciting child-appropriate introduction to an American icon. (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Kirkus (2011). [Review of the book Fabulous! a portrait of Andy Warhol by B. Christensen].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bonnie-christensen/fabulous-portrait-andy-warhol/

Library Uses

Christensen's book would be a great intro to modern/pop culture art.  In addition to being a great summary of Andy Warhol's life, the stylization and graphic design of the book brings to mind Warhol's forward thinking take on art.  After reading the book, it would be interesting to have students look at something within the library and create their own pop art piece, displaying the works after completion.  This would allow students to take a renewed look at the library, connecting also to Warhol and their own inner artist.

Module 11: Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

• Jenkins, S. (2004). Actual size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

BOOK SUMMARY

In Actual Size, Jenkins allows the reader to truly conceptualize the relationship of creatures throughout the world, showing the scale of multiple animals side by side on the pages. Simple pictures and interesting facts connect the reader to animals in a new and inviting way. 

Impressions and opinion of the book

For such a short picture book, Jenkins really does pack a punch.  His background in graphic design is apparent as he weaves the images together in the most powerful way.  The figures entice the reader to compare the different creatures, not only to each other, but also to the readers, themselves.  The images are created with paper, and while they are realistic, they are presented in a way so as not to be threatening to the reader.  At times, the text seems to be an afterthought, but there is still valuable information given and the highlight of the book truly is the interaction with the size and scope of each animal depicted.  The extra information in the glossary of animals at the end is just an added bonus, making this book relevant to young and old alike.

Full-Text Review

A new exploration of the biological world, from one of the current masters of collage, features life-size—not scaled—representations of the extremes of the animal kingdom. Wonderfully textured collages are set against a white background, accompanied by a minimal text gloss about the animals, and their sizes. Some are so huge that only parts can be seen (the one-foot-diameter eye of a giant squid) and others require some squinting (the 1/3-inch dwarf goby). It’s a fascinating subject, and one that will resonate with an audience for whom relative size is a matter of daily interest. Jenkins exploits it for all its worth, including a fold-out of a crocodile’s jaw and a snarling tiger whose face spills off the page. Four concluding pages provide more information about the featured animals, along with reasonably sized, full-body reiterations of the illustrations. Sadly enough, however, in a book that is so intimately concerned with measurement, only English units are used, seemingly ignoring the fact that the metric system is the universal language of science worldwide. A regrettable flaw in an otherwise outstanding offering. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-12)

Kirkus (2004). [Review for the book Actual size by S. Jenkins ].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-jenkins/actual-size/

Library Use

Module 10: The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis

• Ryan, P. M., & Sís, P. (2010). The dreamer. New York: Scholastic Press.

BOOK SUMMARY

Neftali is a young boy who is physically quite frail, but who has a giant world of thoughts and ideas inside of him.  He lives in a daydream, and his love of words is apparent to all who know him.  Unfortunately, his father insists Neftali exude a strong and boisterous exterior, shunning the inclinations of his son, and demanding a future steeped in machismo ideals.  

Impressions and opinion of the book

The Dreamer touched me in a way I have not been touched in a long time.  Quite literally, the text spoke to me, as Ryan tapped into the heart and soul of the young Pablo Neruda.  While the illustrations by Peter Sis allude to the imaginative nature of Neftali, Ryan's words solidify these feelings within the reader, virtually creating a stream of consciousness between Neruda as a child to the reader of today.  Ryan seemingly channels the poet as she takes us back to his beginnings and the people and places that inspired him.  There is such beauty and empowerment the words and images bring, that I want to tell everyone I know about this inspiring work.  While I did not have an overbearing father as Neftali does, I can identify with his shy exterior covering an inner self just bursting with millions of questions and words and ideas.  That Neftali grows into such a pivotal figure in the world of literature gives hope and inspiration to so many children in similar situations, while giving power to the words within them. 

Full-Text Review

Ryan’s fictional evocation of the boy who would become Pablo Neruda is rich, resonant and enchanting. Simple adventures reveal young Neftalí’s painful shyness and spirited determination, his stepmother’s love and his siblings’ affection and his longing for connection with his formidable, disapproving father. The narrative captures as well rain falling in Temuco, the Chilean town where he was raised, and his first encounters with the forest and the ocean. Childhood moments, gracefully re-created, offer a glimpse of a poet-to-be who treasures stories hidden in objects and who recognizes the delicate mutability of the visible world, while the roots of Neruda’s political beliefs are implied in the boy’s encounters with struggles for social justice around him. Lines from a poem by Ryan along with Sís’s art emphasize scenes and introduce chapters, perfectly conveying the young hero’s dreamy questioning. The illustrator’s trademark drawings deliver a feeling of boundless thought and imagination, suggesting, with whimsy and warmth, Neftalí’s continual transformation of the everyday world into something transcendent. A brief selection of Neruda’s poems (in translation), a bibliography and an author’s note enrich an inviting and already splendid, beautifully presented work. (Historical fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus (2010). [Review for the book The dreamer by P.M. Ryan and P. Sis].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pam-munoz-ryan/the-dreamer/

Library Use

While it is difficult to read a full novel in the library, I think finding chapters of this book to share with older elementary through high school students is vital.  The poetic lines that introduce each new chapter could be a writing prompt to start conversations about writers and readers and how one grows in each role.  The chapters near the end could also be used with older students to highlight the power of words, not just in our own lives, but also in the lives of others.