Module 15: Censorship Issues

May 3, 2018
Module 15: Censorship Issues

Title:

What My Mother Doesn't Know

Genre: Young Adult/Verse Novel

Book Summary:

Sophomore year, the year of friends and boys boys boys. Sophie and her two best friends, Grace and Rachel, are boy crazy. Boys come and go throughout the year. Until her impromptu "stay-cation" during winter break when her two BFFs have left her to fend for herself. She heads to her favorite museum and, is surprised to find school reject, Murphy, (of the "you are such a Murphy!" fame), next to her favorite painting. From that first meeting, Sophie learns that true love comes in all different shapes and sizes. After spending her Christmas break with Murphy, also known as Robin, she realizes that she has to brace herself for her friends' reactions to her dating Robin/Murphy. She has a bit of a freakout and realizes that, despite the stares of her classmates, she wants to stay with him.

APA Reference of Book: 

Sones, S. (2001). What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Impression:

I loved this book and the ease of reading free-verse. I have to say I am stunned that this book is on the banned books list for being "sexually explicit". The only things that happen in this book is kissing! This book is a perfect rendition of true teen angst. What 15-year-old girl hasn't liked boy after boy after boy! The way the book was written truly expresses the mind of a young girl. The scene where she enters the cafeteria and is torn between sitting with Rachel and Grace or, incurring the wrath of negative stares by all students and sitting with Robin. "Is everyone/in the entire cafeteria/looking at me?/Or is it just my imagination?/I want to scream/I want to run away./I want to---" (Somes, 2001) Everyone who has EVER sat in a high school cafeteria, at one time or another, has been in the same situation as Sophie. I look forward to reading the next book, What MyGirlfriend Doesn't Know, written from the perspective of Robin/Murphy.

Professional Review:

Gr 6-8 --Astory written in poetry form. Sophie is happily dating Dylan, "until he's practically glued himself to my side." Then she falls for cyberboy ("if I could marry a font/I'd marry his"). Imagine her surprise when he becomes down-right scary. In the satisfying ending, Sophie finds the perfect boyfriend-someone she's known all along. Sones is a bright, perceptive writer who digs deeply into her protagonist's soul. There she reveals the telltale signs of being "boy crazy"; the exciting edginess of cyber romances; the familiar, timeless straggle between teens and parents; and the anguish young people feel when their parents fight. But life goes on, and relationships subtly change. Sones's poems are glimpses through a peep-hole many teens may be peering through for the first time, unaware that others are seeing virtually the same new, scary, unfamiliar things (parents having nuclear meltdowns, meeting a boyfriend's parents, crying for no apparent reason). In What My Mother Doesn't Know, a lot is revealed about the teenage experience-("could I really be falling for that geck I dissed a month ago?"), clashes with close friends, and self-doubts. It could, after all, be readers' lives, their English classes, their hands in a first love's. Of course, mothers probably do know these goings-on in their daughters' lives. It's just much easier to believe they don't. Sones's book makes these often-difficult years a little more livable by making them real, normal, and OK.

Korbeck, S. (2001). What My Mother Doesn't Know (Book Review). School Library Journal, 47(10), 171.

Library Use:
This book, such as others, could be used during Banned Books Week. ELA teachers could assign a banned book and have students reflect/react to the book being deemed a "banned book".

Read alikes:

The following are books that are written in verse format and are included on the banned book list. These could be read, in conjunction with Banned Books Week.

TTYL by Laura Miracle
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Module 14: Poetry & Story Collections

April 29, 2018 

Module 14: Poetry & Story Collections

Title:

Rubber Houses

Genre: Verse Novel for Young Adults

Book Summary:

Kit’s little brother, Buddy, has been diagnosed with cancer and the world as she knows it is irrevocably changed. Buddy takes it with a grain of sale and relates his fight with cancer to that of the game of baseball, which is his one true passion. At first/ he thought it was a game/ Round of Chemo/ like merry-go-/ Round of Chemo/ like ring-a-/ Round of Chemo” (Yeomans, 2007).  As the chemo blasts its way through Buddy’s body, Kit does what she can to keep his spirits up, while realizing at the same time that death is heading its way towards home plate. Buddy’s fight ends when he says, “I’m calling the game” (Yeomans, 2007). Upon his passing, Kit and her family now experience a new normal and must learn to cope with the loss of Buddy. The author portrays the experience of loss from the perspective of Kit and her parents hits a nerve, especially for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one from cancer. Upon entering Senior year, Kit begins to pull away from those who have been with her from the start and she loses the desire for planning for her future.  She attends a bereavement group for teens and tries to cope with the different stages of her grief. Stumbling into a job at the local hardware store and fostering her interest in community service projects shows Kit that there is hope for her and her future.

APA Reference of Book: 

Yeomans, E. (2007). Rubber houses. New York. NY: Little, Brown, and Company

Impression:

I read this book in one sitting and could completely relate to the struggles Kit deals with, having lost a sister in my younger years. Yeoman’s style of free-verse writing allows the reader great insight into Kit’s innermost emotions, her struggle with dealing with her brother’s diagnosis while struggling to keep a straight face throughout Buddy’s treatment. Kit’s actions portray the different stages of the grieving process, from shock to denial, resentment and anger and then isolation from everything around her. They say time heals all wounds. It’s not a case of “closure” per se, but the learning of a living with a new normal, for both Kit and her family. This book would be an excellent read for students who have experienced the loss of a loved one. I wish there was a book like this one written at the time I lost my sister to help me through the grieving process.

Professional Review:

Continuing her thematic preoccupation with death, Yeomans creates a free-verse diary for 17-year-old Kit's year-long period of grief, guilt and ultimate coping strategy following the loss of her nine-year-old brother Buddy to cancer. Juxtaposed with baseball terminology, Buddy's first love and obsession, the poems are divided into five sections imitating the year-long cycle of the sport: "Warm-Ups, 'Regular' Season, Postseason, Hot Stove, Spring Training." Sad, often depressing and achingly difficult to read with sustained interest, Buddy's illness and death are described in the first two sections followed by Kit's long, drawn-out feelings of despair, anger and general lack of concern for her own future without her little brother. Finally, as with the promise of each new "Spring Training," Kit finds refuge and recovery working as a clerk in the local hardware store, renews neglected friendships and resolves at least to begin her higher education at the local community college. Perhaps a little too cathartic and personal, Yeomans's symbolic use of the happy American pastime is discordant with the somber and grave issue of premature death. Dismal reading.

Yeomans, Ellen: Rubber houses [Review of the book Rubber Houses, by E. Yeomans]. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(24), 1275. Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com.

Library Use:

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and the library could display this book, along with similar novels, in support of this cause. It could be done in conjunction with a blood drive for the community. Another program could be held during National Poetry Month, held each April. The librarian could read selections from Rubber Houses and students could write responses, or could create Book Spine Poetry in response to selections from Rubber Houses.

Readalikes:

The following books, all written in free verse, could be spotlighted during National Poetry Month. They could also be used for creating Book Spine Poetry as a reflection to the readalouds.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers
Jinx by Margaret Wild
One Night by Margaret Wild
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: a Mystery in Poems by Mel Glenn
Things Left Unsaid by Stephanie Hemphill
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
What my Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

Module 13: Graphic Novels & Series Books

April 22, 2018 

Module 13: Graphic Novels & Series Books

Title:

Stitches: a memoir

Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel/Memoir

Book Summary:

David Small never felt like he fit in with his family. Mom was always angry for reasons he didn't understand and his dad, a doctor, spent most of his time at the hospital where he worked.  He was a sickly baby and at the age of ten, a family friend noticed a lump on his throat.  After many tests and an operation, he woke to discover he was mute, unable to talk about a whisper. His parents never explained what was wrong with him and years later David discovers that he was diagnosed with cancer, however, his parents chose to keep it a secret from him. Because of that betrayal, David grew into an angry and troubled teen, transferring from school to school, until he finally left home at the age of sixteen, never to reconcile with his parents. 

APA Reference of Book: 

Small, D. (2009). Stitches a memoir. New York: W.W. Norton.

Impression:

This memoir blew me away. The fact that parents would lie to children about their condition baffled me. I get the idea of protecting your kids from the possibility of being hurt, however, there is always a price to pay. In this case, it was David never speaking his parents again. The author touched on some touch issues, such as childhood cancer and the betrayal of his parents. I liked the way that Mr. Small illustrated the book. Some pages were both pictures and words, whereas some were just pictures. He was able to illustrate the emotions in a way that the reader, no matter what age, could empathize with the character. When David wakes from his surgery, to find that he has can only "squawk", no longer talk, the anger on his face is easily identified. He is drawn with a persistent scowl on his face. While there is some choice language, I would recommend that this book should be included in a high school collection. There are many issues that kids can relate to, such as the struggle between parents and children and how it feels to feel different when around others.

Professional Review:

Emotionally raw, artistically compelling and psychologically devastating graphic memoir of childhood trauma.

An award-winning illustrator of children's books (That Book Woman, 2008, etc.), Small narrates this memoir from various perspectives of his boyhood in the 1950s. He considered his radiologist father one of the "soldiers of science, and their weapon was the X-ray…They were miraculous wonder rays that would cure anything." Or so it seemed to a young boy who realized early on that his family was what now would be labeled "dysfunctional." His mother was cold, neurotic and acquisitive, with little love for either her spouse or their children. His older brother had little use for or contact with his younger sibling. His father was barely a presence in the household. The author was chronically ill, with treatment prescribed by his father, including X-rays. When Small was ten, he developed a growth on his neck that his parents were too preoccupied to have diagnosed, though friends of the family urged them to. It wasn't until after he turned 14 that he finally underwent surgery for what was initially considered a harmless cyst but turned out to be a cancerous tumor. A second surgery left him with only one vocal cord, all but voiceless as well as disfigured. Terse and unsentimental throughout, the narration becomes even sparer once the author loses his voice, with page after wordless page filled with stark imagery. Yet the intensity of the artistry reveals how he has been screaming inside, with nightmares that never fully abate when he is awake. Psychological therapy helps him come to terms with his condition, as does his precocious artistry. While the existence of this suggests somewhat of a happy ending, the reader will find forgiving and forgetting as hard as the author has.

Graphic narrative at its most cathartic. (Author tour to New York, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, Mich., Kalamazoo, Mich., Boston, Agent: Holly McGhee/Pippin Properties)

STITCHES: A Memoir. (2009). Kirkus Reviews, 77(12), 649.
Retrieved from:
https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=43466769&scope=site

Library Use:

This book could be used to help young adults talk about emotions. Students could, instead of talking, draw pictures that represent their emotions. They could create a graphic novel of their emotions, explaining through the drawings and some words, what the feeling is and why they feel this way. The librarian could ask the Art teachers for some suggestions as to how to begin this type of project.

Readalikes:

These are all memoirs, in the same vein as Stitches and could be used as further reading recommendations for students.

Liar’s Club by Mary Carr
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The End of the World as We Know It by Robert Goolrick

Module 12: Biography & Autobiography

April 21, 2018 

Module 12: Biography & Autobiography

Title: How Angel Peterson got his name: And other outrageous tales about extreme sports.

Genre: Autobiography

Book Summary:

In this autobiography, Gary Paulsen shares a collection of some wonderful stories during a time in a young man's life that did not include TV or video games but a time where young boys needed to be inventive and creative with their time. Paulsen tells tales that seem hard to believe, however, if the reader is a young boy of thirteen, he can totally relate. Paulsen writes about "extreme sports" before they were even a buzzword in modern times:  speeding on skies along a flat Midwestern road, wrestling bears, peeing on an electrified fence just to see a rainbow, riding over a dam in a wooden barrel are just a                                                      few of his and his friends' exploits. 

APA Reference of Book: 
Paulsen, G. (2003). How Angel Peterson got his name: And other outrageous tales about extreme sports. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

Impression:
I have never laughed as hard and loud as I did reading this book. Having two brothers and reading this book reminded me of all the antics they did as kids: climbing the trees and hanging on the roof just because; hitting each other with curtain rods to see what would happen; jumping off of said roof to see who could land without breaking anything. Paulsen pulled me right in and never let go. I was happy to learn that it wasn't just a story about his best friend Angel, but about all his friends and all the crazy "extreme sports" they created when they were younger. My favorite line was "We were quite a bit dumber then." How true. Any adult who grew up before the craze of electronics will remember all the crazy things we used to do and wish that their own kids would go back to that instead of wanting to be glued to their phones and video game consoles. There's hope that young male readers may try some of these silly antics, however, let's hope they wear some type of protective gear! 

Professional Review:

Dedicated to all 13-year-old boys ("The miracle is that we live through it"), Paulsen's latest collection of possibly autobiographical anecdotes, his most hilarious yet, celebrates that innate impulse to try really stupid stunts, just to see what happens. What sort of bad ideas can a group of lads in a small Minnesota town come up with? "Angel" Peterson ties himself, on skis, to a fast car, earning his sobriquet after claiming to hear angels singing "Your Cheatin' Heart" when the attempt goes disastrously awry. Because some girls are watching, Orvis Orvisen goes toe to toe with a live sideshow bear; others try various primitive, ill-considered forms of hang-gliding, bicycle-jumping, and skateboarding, capped by a sidesplitting outtake from the author's Harris and Me (1993), featuring a wildly misguided attempt at bungee-jumping. Related with the author's customary matter-of-fact tone and keen comic timing, these episodes will not only keep young readers, of both sexes, in stitches, they're made to order for reading aloud. (Biography. 10-12)

How Angel Peterson Got His Name (Book). (2002). Kirkus Reviews, 70(23), 1772. Retrieved from
https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=8856268&scope=site

Library Use:

This would be a great book to start a resesarch project over kids and their activities during the era of no tv/no electronics. Students could interview their parents and even grandparents and find out the most outrageous things they did to occupy their time.

Read alikes:

Each of these books are excellent representations of coming of age novels that could be used to introduce autobiographical writing. 

Tripping Over the Lunch Lady: And Other School Stories  by Nancy E. Mercado

Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid by Jerry Spinelli

King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher

Module 11: Informational Books

April 8, 2018 

Module 11: Informational Books

Title:

How They Croaked

Genre: Young Adult/Informational

Book Summary:

  When a book introduction by the author begins with.“…if you don’t have the guts for gore, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK” (introduction), that's like asking Pandora to NOT open the box. How They Croaked is a book that describes the deaths of some of the most infamous famous throughout history. Eac death is explained in a simple, yet effective manner for young adult readers. The author provides information over each figure, telling why each was so well-known and what they did throughout their lives, that contributed to society. One of the deaths, James Garfield's was not death by bullet, but rather death by germs! He actually died at the hands of his own doctors. Simply drawn black and white illustrations add to the stories, with the illustrations drawn in such a way that they are actually are exaggerations of each historical figure. Fact-filled and fun trivia is included within each chapter about the person, the manner of the person's death, and some other random facts related to the events of the death. Bragg adds her own sense of humor throughout the book, allowing the reader to laugh out loud, even though the subject matter is as dark as it is. An extensive list of sources for each entry is included in the back of the book. Additional resources for each entry are given at the end of the book for “further reading and surfing” for those with a morbid sense of thought, who would like to read further into the life and death of the historical figure.

APA Reference of Book: 

Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

Impression: 

The title grabbed my attention and the stories had me reading the book in one sitting. I first believed it was going to be a book about current historical figures, not realizing it was about George and Marie and King Tut. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I fell into the stories. The author provides not just information about how the person died, but the who/what/why/where/when too. The descriptions of each historical figure’s death are gruesomely detailed yet followed up with a humorous style of writing that can make the reader almost forget how harsh the figures death actually was. Just a few examples were in the chapter titles, like George Washington: Little Mouth of Horrors, James A. Garfield, James Who?, and Elizabeth I, She Kept Hear Head About Her.  The author included some unknown and interesting facts about each figure, including information about each individual’s family background and accomplishments to help readers understand what life was like during the era of each figures life. I found the most interesting fact was that the reason all of the pictures of Napoleon standing with his hand in his jacket was not to promote how powerful he was, but in actuality, he was holding his side due to the excruciating pain he was experiencing in his stomach!

Professional Review:

Gr 5-9–King Tut died of malaria; Edgar Allan Poe is suspected to have had rabies. Beethoven and Galileo both met their ends due to lead poisoning. Fifteen other historical figures, including world leaders, writers, and scientists, were felled by things as mundane as pneumonia and as unpredictable as angry mobs. Each entry provides the circumstances of the person’s death and gives context to those circumstances, from discussions of the political climate to medical practices of the time. Chapters are separated by a spread of brief facts related to the individual, the demise, or the era. Lively, full-page caricatures set in decorative frames appear throughout, along with spot illustrations. Back matter includes a lengthy list of sources. The sometimes-snarky writing gives the material a casual, conversational tone that will appeal to many readers. The title alone provides an easy booktalk; expect this one to be passed around and pored over.
~~~~~~~~
By Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA
Danner, B. (2011). How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous [Review of the book How they croaked:  the awful ends of the awfully famous]. School Library Journal, 57(4), 189-190. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Library Use:

This book could be used with forensic science classes. Students would be assigned one of the characters, complete more in-depth research into the death of the figure, along with an investigation into the medical practices of that specific time period. It could also be used as a fun way to begin a book talk over historical figures.

Readalikes:

For those who are interested in the weird and strange, these would be good books to continue with this obsession of the weird and strange:

I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History's Strangest Cures  by Carlyn Beccia
Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals  by Michael Hearst  

Module 10: Historical Fiction

April 1, 2018
Module 10: Historical Fiction

Title:

Brothers At Bat by Audrey Vernick

Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction

Book Summary: This book tells the true story of twelve brothers who played semi-pro baseball together during the 1930s and were the longest playing all-brother baseball team in baseball history. It tells how all the brothers, each having different qualities and specialties that set them apart from each other, helped make them a team of loyal players who loved the game of baseball and unconditionally loved each other. The story also tells of their lives off and on the baseball field and how six of the brother served in WWII. The author also provides additional information about the brothers and their lives after baseball.

APA Reference: Vernick, A. (2012). Brothers at bat. New York, NY: Clarion Books

Impression:

I loved this book. My brother and my son were avid baseball players during their elementary and secondary years of school and I fell in love with this story because I am a big baseball fan (NY Mets!!) I was absolutely floored to find out about this incredible group of brothers and was surprised to learn that there were actually twenty-nine other teams made up of brothers! The illustrations were great, each brother was drawn to represent their age difference and style difference so the reader could recognize who was who on the field. I liked how the illustrator used a different color to represent each brother, the younger of the bunch having stripes on their shirts. Any lover of baseball would thoroughly enjoy this book.

Professional Review:
“It sounds like a fairy tale: twelve baseball-playing brothers,” but it’s true. The 12 Acerra brothers from New Jersey played together on a semipro team formed in 1938, each brother with his own talents and style: “Charlie.... was a good player, but a terrible runner.” Vernick, who interviewed two of the brothers as part of her research, describes how one brother lost an eye when he was struck by a baseball and how six of the brothers served in WWII. Painted in a bright palette of greens, yellows, and blues, Salerno’s mixed-media illustrations, traced and shaded in black crayon, are an immediate attention-getter, the thick, horizontal brushwork contributing to a strong sense of movement. A lively story about family loyalty and love of the game pulled from the sidelines of baseball history. Ages 4–8. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Apr.)
Publishers Weekly. (February 6, 2012).
Retrieved on March 31, 2018, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-547-38557-0

Library Use:

The librarian could set up a display at the beginning of training season, including this book and others representing the game and the history of baseball.

Readalikes: These are books that tell the history of baseball players, similar to the story of Brothers at Bat.

McCully, Emily Arnold.: Queen of the Diamond: the Lizzie Murphy Story.

Smith, Charles: R. Black Jack: the Ballad of Jack Johnson.

Tavares, Matt:  Becoming Babe Ruth.

Module 9: Mystery

March 18, 2018
Module 9: Mystery

Title:

Something Rotten by Alan Gratz

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Classic Retelling

Book Summary: A summer visit to his best friend’s house in Denmark, Tennessee becomes a visit of mystery and suspense. Horatio Wilkes becomes embroiled in the mystery of who killed the senior prince. Was it Hamilton’s mother, who remarried his uncle/now step-father? Was it Hamilton’s ex, Olivia, who is the most vocal person about the river pollution supposedly caused by the family’s paper plant? When Horatio is shown a video left to Hamilton by his father, in which he says he is being poisoned, Horatio starts down a path that he really didn’t want to head, he is able to piece together clues that show that Hamilton’s Uncle is the killer. 

APA Reference of Book: 

Gratz, A. (2007). Something rotten. New York, NY: Dial Books.

Impression:

While the most obvious suspect was the uncle, I still thoroughly enjoyed this modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I liked that Horatio only wanted to help Hamilton break his alcohol habit and that he chose not to drink, just because, not with an moral reasoning behind it. There was no bad language or gratuitous scenes in the book to prevent it from being read in an English class. This would be a good adaptation to pull in the most reluctant reader. It was easy to read and did make me chuckle in a few places. 

Professional Review:

Kirkus Review (September 1, 2007)
Gratz is cornering the niche market of novels containing dissimilar topics. Here he combines Hamlet and hardboiled detective pulp. During a vacation from their academy, Horatio Wilkes accompanies his buddy Hamilton Prince to Denmark, Tenn. Just two months after his father passed away under suspicious circumstances, Hamilton’s Uncle Claude has married Hamilton’s mother. Claude now controls the Elsinore Paper Plant, a multibillion-dollar company blatantly polluting the Copenhagen River. Horatio, with a knack for investigating, is determined to expose Claude’s corruption while Hamilton, dismayed by what he believes is his mother’s betrayal, drowns himself in alcohol. Ultimately, Horatio relies on environmentalist protester Olivia to reveal secrets about Elsinore. The many parallels to Hamlet are interesting, but Gratz wisely avoids producing a carbon copy of the tragedy. Horatio admirably plays the loyal friend but has a cocky voice that is too self-assured and as a teen rings unauthentic. However, this well-crafted mystery has appeal for readers familiar with both Raymond Chandler’s novels and Shakespeare’s masterpiece. (Fiction. YA)

REVIEW, K. (2018). SOMETHING ROTTEN by Alan Gratz | Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 18 March 2018, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alan-gratz/something-rotten/

Library Use:

An English class could complete a compare and contrast to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. The book could also be included in a library display over literary adaptations, both written and graphic novel adaptations.

Read alikes:

The following are all modern day adaptations of Shakespeare's plays that can be read in ELA classes.

Something Wicked by Alan Gratz - 
Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney
Juliet Immortal (Juliet Immortal #1) by Stacey Jay