GENRE 3: one of those hideous books where the mother die by Sonya Sones

Bibliography
Sones, Sonya. 2004. one of those hideous books where the mother dies. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689858205

Plot Summary
Ruby Milliken has just lost her mother and is forced to move to Los Angeles to live with her father, Whip Logan, who is a famous movie star. Ruby believes her father to be a jerk and all-around deadbeat dad for divorcing her mother and refusing to see her. The loss of her best friend and boyfriend in the move to Los Angeles adds fuel to Ruby’s resolve to keep her father at arm’s length, despite their many shared interests. In an attempt to cope with her unresolved emotions at her mother’s death, Ruby begins writing emails to her about school and her life with Whip. As the school year progresses, Ruby makes new friends, comes to terms with her mother’s death, is betrayed by loved ones, and learns that things aren’t always what they seem and that everyone deserves a chance at a new beginning.

Critical Analysis
Sones’s free verse novel captures the essence of a teenager in the midst of conflict. Narrated by the main character, Ruby Milliken, the novel uses sparse prose in a poetic way to present a picture of a teen dealing with conflicts at home, school, and with friends. Sones manages to capture the teen persona through Ruby’s witty observations and sarcastic style, thus making the narrator a believable and likable character. Without being heavy-handed, Sones captures Ruby’s emotions as they vacillate between hope, insecurity, loss, isolation, anger, and happiness. The free verse format is interspersed with letters and emails written to Ruby’s best friend and mother, providing a nice break from the prose and offering greater insight into Ruby’s emotional state. Though the novel’s free verse format makes for an easy read, Sones manages to infuse the novel with vocabulary and idioms that give the novel voice and character. Readers will enjoy Sones’s novel for its humor and witty observations on the Hollywood lifestyle, as well as the genuine and poignant presentation of a teenager growing up.

Review Excerpt(s)
Named an International Reading Association Young Adults’ Choice (2006)

Named a 2005 Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association

KLIATT - “YAs will love this book…”

School Library Journal – “…Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one's own happiness.”

Connections
- Consider having students discuss the various ways Ruby dealt with her emotions in the novel, and then have them brainstorm other constructive and destructive ways to deal with emotions.
- Have students discuss the aspects of the Hollywood lifestyle depicted in the book and evaluate whether such depictions are realistic.
- Create a mini-research project in which students research organizations and agencies that help teenagers deal with the loss of a loved one or other difficult issues in their lives. As an extension, have them create a chart that compares and contrasts the services provided by the agencies.

GENRE 3: A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe.

Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 2001. A Pocketful of Poems. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395938686

Plot Summary
Tiana pulls words out of her pocket--such as spring, hot, snow--and uses them to explore and describe the world around her. Each word is an inspiration for a free verse poem and a haiku that capture the essence of her personality and the world in which she lives.

Critical Analysis
Nikki Grimes creates a book that overflows with personality and spirit. The double page spreads in the book offer a haiku and free verse poem inspired by a word being picked out by Triana, the narrator of the book. The poems deftly reflect the urban feel of Harlem, but they also reflect Triana’s lively spirit and inquisitive, insightful nature. Grimes’ haikus and free verse poems expertly capture impressions and moments in Triana’s life, starting with a spring morning and ending with the beginning of a New Year. Each poem in the book is infused with language and imagery that readily paint an image in the reader’s mind. Her haiku for the word “hot” perfectly captures the essence of a hot summer in Harlem:”Hot days send me to/the water fountain where my/face goes for a swim.” Grimes includes a note at the end of the book that explains the history of haikus, likening them to “a poetry of brushstrokes” and encouraging reader’s to try writing their own haikus.

Grimes pairs the poems in the book with intricate collages created by Javaka Steptoe. The collages appear to jump from the page due to the variety of materials used by Steptoe. Everything from a feather to textured paper to toothpicks was fair game in the creation of the collages. A silver pie tin substitutes as the moon in one collage, the face cards in a deck of cards create a cheering crowd for a baseball game, and painted toothpicks create brightly colored fireworks that light up the sky for the poems that describe Harlem on the Fourth of July. Readers will spend just as much time studying the illustrations as they will the poems in the book.

Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist – *Starred Review* "There's so much vibrant energy and freshness in this collaboration, the book will dance into the hearts of children right away.”

Publishers Weekly – "Grimes (Jazmin's Notebook) boils poetry down to its essence in this picture book homage to words—a must-read for aspiring poets and writers….”

School Library Journal – “A playful and thoroughly successful pairing of words and pictures.”

Connections
- Students can pick words from a basket and use those words to inspire their own free verse or haiku poems.
- Students can create a collage in Javaka Steptoe’s style using objects found at home or in the classroom.
- Have students brainstorm a list of words that could be used to describe themselves or their environment. After brainstorming, have them choose a few words and write about what meaning that word has for them.
- Have students rate the poems on their effectiveness in describing the chosen word. For example, on a scale of 1-5, how effectively does the haiku for “hot” capture the essence of the word.

GENRE 3: Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems by Kristine O'Connell George

Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2002. Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems. Ill. by Debbie Tilley. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618152504

Plot Summary
Told through the voice of a female narrator, the poems in this book detail the first year of a young girl’s middle school experience. The poems capture the confusion, excitement, and fear that come with first day jitters, locker confusion, PE, tests and homework, school dances, gossip, yearbook declarations, and romance. Each new situation brings honest insight from the narrator and new emotions to be explored. By the end of the first year, the narrator learns that middle school is an experience unto itself, and that the first year in middle school can be the most memorable and life altering.

Critical Analysis
Kristine O’Connell George captures the memorable moments of middle school with humor and poignant honesty. The sixty-five poems in the book delve into significant experiences in middle school and the emotional responses to those experiences. There is fear, confusion, and angst, but there is also happiness, triumph, and love. The poems follow a variety of formats that fit each situation. From a haiku to describe a perfect book recommended by the librarian to an acrostic that details the characteristics of a snob to a free verse that shows the excitement of finding a new friend.
The poems are often short and get to the heart of the matter quickly. With descriptive titles such as “Pop Quiz” and “Does He or Doesn’t He?” it is easy to see what new experience the narrator is about to embark on.

The book ends on a high notes and gives the reader the sense that the narrator has come far in her journey and has learned a lot during her first year of middle school. Teachers and students will find much to love in George’s book. Teachers can use this book in a variety of classroom activities, and students will definitely be able to relate to the emotions being experienced by the narrator.

Debbie Tilley’s cartoonish pen and ink drawings are perfect complements to the poems. Though there are only four illustrations in the book, those included wonderfully capture the essence of middle school. Revealed in the illustrations are the confusion of lockers on the first day, lunchroom gossip, the chaos of beginning band, and whispered secrets in class. Tilley conveys various emotions through the facial expressions in her drawings. The cartoonish quality of the illustrations, and spot on renderings of middle school, will make readers smile.

Review Excerpt(s)
Children’s Literature – “George captures well the details and emotions….”

Kirkus Reviews – “…a growing sense of self-confidence, a promise of good things to come calculated, and apt, to buoy up young grammar school graduates.”

School Library Journal – “Students will relate to this voice navigating ‘upstream,’ while they try to find their own place in the middle-school wilderness.”

Connections
- Students can take one of the poems in the book and write it from their perspective to reflect their own personal experience.
- Students can extend the narrative by creating a poem for what the narrator might experience on the first day of 7th grade.
- Students can trace mood and tone throughout the narrative and create a bar graph of the emotions experienced by the narrator.

GENRE 2: Porch Lies: Tales of Tricksters, Slicksters, and Other Wily Characters by Patricia C. McKissack

Bibliography
McKissack, Patricia C. 2006. Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters and Other Wily Characters. Illustrated by Andre Carrilho. New York: Schwarz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375936197

Plot Summary
This collection of stories by Patrcia C. McKissack draws on African American oral traditions and range from side-splittingly funny to hair-raisingly spooky. Readers will meet a variety of slicksters and tricksters who outsmart and charm others to get what they want. In “Aunt Gran and the Outlaws,” a little old lady called Aunt Gran comes face to face with Frank and Jesse James. She somehow manages to outsmart them so that they help her rid the town of a racist businessman who wants her land. “When Pete Bruce Came to Town” shares how Pete Bruce, charmer extraordinaire, manages to flatter a baker out of a coconut cream pie and a quart of milk. For a chilling read, “The Devil’s Guitar” shows how James “Bukka” Black is tempted by the devil’s offer of fame and fortune.

Critical Analysis
Based on African American oral traditions, the stories in McKissack’s collection are rich in African American history. There are mentions of slavery, segregation, harassment by the Klu Klux Klan, and the Great Depression. The inclusion of these historical events tends to give the stories an essence of truth that adds to the task of determining whether to believe the “porch lie.”

McKissack prefaces her collection of stories with a reminiscence of her younger days in Nashville, Tennessee and shares how her summers spent on the porch of her grandparents’ home helped shape the stories in the collection. Each story is initially set up for the reader by introducing the porch visitor, sometimes male and sometimes female, who will tell the story. There is a bit of background given as to why the visitor is telling the porch lie, and then the story begins. The plot and conflict of the tale is quickly established at the beginning, and the “narrator” draws the reader in with the authentic style of the language and dialect used to tell the story. The elements of a trickster tale are alive and well in each story as the various male, and one female, tricksters use their cunning and humor to make up for any weaknesses they may have in overcoming their obstacles. There are lessons to be learned from each story, and though each trickster can seem cruel or heartless, readers will come to realize that a common theme among the stories is that of the scoundrel who does indeed have a saving grace.

Adding to McKissack’s stories are the illustrations by Andre Carrilho. Done in black and white, the illustrations are dramatic and well-matched with the stories. Each illustration showcases the trickster in the story and manages to capture the essence of the character in their facial expressions and actions. The standout feature of each illustration is Carrilho’s use of shadows and the elongated physical dimensions of the character being drawn. It gives the character an otherworldly quality that fits with the idea that the character isn’t your average person.

McKissack’s collection is a wonderful addition to library rich in oral traditions. Though not necessarily intended for young readers, children of all ages will enjoy listening to adults share the stories within this collection.

Review Excerpt(s)
Children’s Literature – “Wonderful for reading aloud, these serve not only as entertainment but inspiration for others to write down family stories told in the oral tradition.”

Booklist - *Starred Review* “Great for sharing, on the porch and in the classroom.”

School Library Journal – “These 10 literate stories make for great leisure listening and knowing chuckles.”

Connections
* Students can create a graphic organizer analyzing the characteristics of a slickster or trickster in a story of their choosing.
* Have students organize and perform one of the stories in the collection for the class.
* Moderate a debate in which students argue over which slickster or trickster was the most effective in his or her methods.
* Students can research one of the historical events mentioned in the tales (segregation, slavery, etc.) and create a multimedia presentation.

GENRE 2: The Great Race of the birds and animals retold by Paul Goble

Bibliography
Goble, Paul. 1985. The Great Race of the birds and animals. New York: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0027369501

Plot Summary
In this retelling of a Cheyenne and Sioux myth, the Creator calls for a great race to settle the question of whether buffaloes or men should have supremacy over all creatures. The Creator decrees that the race will be held between four-legged and two-legged animals. If the four-legged animals win, then buffaloes will continue eating men. If the two-legged animals win, then men will be allowed to eat buffaloes and all other four-legged creatures. The birds side with men, and as the race begins, Magpie flies down and rides on Buffalo’s back. Several of the animals drop out or fall behind throughout the course of the race. As the finish line draws near, man begins to fall behind Buffalo, and it appears that they may lose the race. However, thanks to Magpie’s cunning plan, man ends up winning the race and the buffaloes agree to stop eating men.

Critical Analysis
Goble's story is a typical Native American por quoi folktale in that it explains why something occurred in Native American culture. Goble begins the folktale with the question “Do you know why buffaloes have long hair on their chins?” thus signaling the reader that they are about to learn why something happened. In this case, Goble retells the Cheyenne and Sioux myth that explains how Native Americans came to hunt buffalo and other animals. The story contains the typical folktale element of people and animals overcoming a problem. It also includes a trickster element in the character of Magpie, who spends the entire race on Buffalo’s back, only to emerge the victor at the finish line. It is through Magpie’s cunning that man is allowed to rein supreme.

An interesting element in this book was the pages at the beginning and end of the story that give some history into the Native American culture. Goble appears to have done his research well as he notes that the traditional legend has the great race being run around the Black Hills in western South Dakota. The last page details why Native American cultures believe that magpies have beautiful iridescent colors on their tails.

Goble’s illustrations add to the overall effect of the story. The illustrations are appealing due to their bright colors and crisp details. The colors are reminiscent of Native American art and allow each page in the book to capture the essence of the story. Goble’s buffalo drawings have especially captivating eyes, and you can almost sense a human emotion in them.

Review Excerpt(s)
CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies

Publisher’s Weekly – “Caldecott Medalist Goble's captivating retelling of this Cheyenne and Sioux myth is enhanced by his characteristically vivid folk-art paintings.”

Connections
* Students can hold a Socratic seminar and debate whether magpie fairly won the race.
* Have students create their own por quoi folktale to explain why something in nature occurs.
* Expose students to the geography of South Dakota and have them analyze what natural features
might have caused animals to become fatigued or distracted so that they dropped out of the race.

GENRE 2: Joe Cinders retold by Marianne Mitchell and illustrated by Bryan Langdo

Bibliography
Mitchell, Marianne. 2002. Joe Cinders. Illustrated by Bryan Langdo. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0805065296

Plot Summary
In this southwestern Cinderella story with a twist, Joe Cinders does all the chores while his three mean stepbrothers spend their days being lazy and counting buzzards in the sky. One day, an invitation arrives for a fiesta being thrown my Miss Rosalinda, the richest rancher in the area. Joe’s stepbrothers are determined that one of them will marry Miss Rosalinda, and they refuse to allow Joe to attend the fiesta. On the night of the fiesta, Joe is left at home to watch the cattle. Suddenly, a mysterious stranger in baggy overalls shows up and gives Joe everything he needs to knock Miss Rosalinda off her feet. Joe attends the fiesta, but ends up leaving his red boot behind when he leaves at midnight. In the end, Joe and Miss Rosalinda receive their happily ever after.

Critical Analysis
Mitchell creates a parody of the Cinderella story that follows the traditional storyline and is humorous in its delivery. Many of the elements common to the Cinderella story remain in this retelling: the mean step-siblings, a ball, a fairy godmother character, a lost shoe, and the happily ever after. The male “Cinderella,” Joe Cinders, retains many of the characteristics of a typical female “Cinderella”—hardworking, good, fair, and honest. Though the plot is simple and the “happily ever after” ending is predictable, readers will enjoy the twist at the end when they learn what happens to Joe’s bullying stepbrothers. Once again, good triumphs over evil, though this time it happens in the Southwest rather than in a European village.

The watercolor illustrations created by Bryan Langdo for the book are light and cheerful. Langdo does a nice job of contrasting the sad and overworked “Cinderella” with his mean and bullying stepbrothers. Little details in the illustrations are sure to get a laugh from readers, especially the details added to one of the stepbrothers’ apparel. The beauty of the southwestern landscape is capture in the illustrations and adds to the whimsy and appeal of the story.

Review Excerpt(s)
From Kirkus Reviews – “Mitchell's marvelously funny details, western words, and classic fairy tale base combine to make this a sure winner with readers of all ages.”

From Booklist – “An effective, thorough makeover with plenty of hearty laughs”.

Connections
- Have students compare and contrast this version to well-known typical Cinderella version.
- Have students read other variations of the Cinderella story and have them note common elements among them.
- Students can work with a partner to create their own version of the Cinderella story.
- Have students choose other settings for a Cinderella story and explain how the typical elements of the story would change.

GENRE 1: Pass It Down: Five Picture Book Familes Make Their Mark by Leonard S. Marcus

Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. 2007. Pass It Down: Five Picture Book Families Make Their Mark. New York: Walker & Company. ISBN 9780802796011

Plot Summary
Leonard S. Marcus introduces readers to five best-selling and award winning families and shows how they have managed to make their mark in the world of picture books. Families highlighted in this book include the Crews, Hurds, Myerses, Pinkneys, and Rockwells. The families in the book each share their family legacies by relating memories, sharing scrapbooks, and revealing book dummies, model shots, and final works of art. Each family’s narrative shows how the trailblazing family member became involved in picture books, how their children managed to following in their footsteps, and the process by which their picture books came into being.

Critical Analysis
Marcus creates a wonderful history of how creativity runs in a family by sharing the stories of these five gifted and award winning families. At the root of each narrative is a love of art, faith in their work, and determination to succeed and follow a chosen path in life. The love for their work is evident in each narrative, and readers will be drawn into each family’s individual tale. Each narrative consists of conversations between parent and child which follow a standard format: how the parent became involved in the picture book business, their successful books, and eventually how the child became involved in the business. The use of family photos help readers connect to the authors and illustrators on a human level. Personal family histories, anecdotes, and shared memories also bring readers into the story and help them understand the path these authors and illustrator took to get where they are today. Readers will be especially interested in seeing copies of letters received from publishers, book dummies, model shots used for books, and final drafts of art that were included in a published book. Overall, this is an intriguing read that allows readers to get a glimpse of life behind their favorite picture books.

Review Excerpt(s)
From Kirkus: “Filled with intriguing tidbits, this is an outstanding work about the connections between parents and children, editors and artists and readers and writers.”

From School Library Journal: “Marcus carefully makes the point that, although perhaps blessed with some inherited talent and encouraged by their parents, all of the children pursued their art with diligence and have emerged with their own unique styles.”

From Booklist: “This may be of greatest interest to librarians, but young fans will find this a very readable and perceptive book that throws an intriguing light on growing up within a successful family and choosing a career path.”

Connections
- Have students compare and contrast the artwork of two different families, or members within
a family, highlighted in the book.
- Students can explore using the different mediums used by the illustrators, such as
watercolor, scratchboard, and collage.
- Students can practice sequencing and outline by creating a timeline of the illustrators
accomplishments and published works. This might give students a more realistic idea
of how hard it can be to become published.

GENRE 1: Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems

Bibliography
Willems, Mo. 2008. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 9781423109600

Plot Summary
In the latest book in the Pigeon series, Pigeon declares his desire for a puppy. He begins by giving his reasons for wanting a puppy, then pleads for one, and slowly escalates into a full blow temper tantrum when it appears that he may not get what he wants. When Pigeon’s dream of owning a puppy is realized, he discovers that the slobber, teeth, and wet nose that come with a puppy may not make it such a desirable pet after all. Pigeon eventually gives up on the puppy idea and moves on to another animal he thinks might make a better pet.

Critical Analysis
Willem’s drawings and narrative tell a story that will resonate with many pre-school children. Pigeon speaks to the reader from page one, thus allowing the reader to interact with the character as he begs, pleads, throws tantrums, and eventually changes him mind about his true desire. Pigeon’s various emotions are conveyed through the use of different size fonts, facial expressions, and body language. Willem’s minimalist drawings allow the reader to focus on Pigeon and his various emotions throughout the book. Children will definitely see themselves in Pigeon as he pouts, mutters, and overreacts his way through the story.

Review Excerpt(s)
From Publisher’s Weekly: “The core thrill of this series has always been offering kids the chance to experience pleading from the parental point of view-and exercise the awesome power to say no.”

From School Library Journal: “Willems's hilariously expressive illustrations and engaging text are cinematic in their interplay.”


Connections
· Parents can use this book to have children create a “pros” and “cons” list for bringing a puppy into the family
· Students can write about a time that they received something they desired only to find that it didn’t quite meet their expectations.
· Students can continue the story and predict what they think might happen with the new animal that Pigeon desires at the end of the story.

GENRE 1: Flotsam by David Wiesner

Bibliography
Wiesner, David. 2006. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780618194575

Plot Summary
As a young boy prepares to spend a day at the beach exploring and studying the various sea creatures that wash onto shore, he discovers an old fashioned underwater camera. Eager to see what secrets the camera holds, the boy develops the film, and discovers a fascinating world underneath the ocean. As the boy continues to study the pictures, he realizes that one of them is a picture of a child holding a picture of another child and so on. Upon magnifying the picture under his microscope, the boy discovers that several generations before him have been privy to the wonderful secrets hidden in the ocean. The young boy takes his own picture with the camera and then tosses it back into the ocean so that others can share in his wondrous discovery.

Critical Analysis
Without using a single word, Wiesner manages to create a story that is exciting and surprising. The author’s use of detail, color, and formatting make this wordless book a truly captivating read. From full page spreads to comic styled blocking, each frame in the book adds to the story unfolding in the reader’s mind. The light colors of the beach scenes contrast nicely with the darker colors used to capture the underwater world in the photos. The facial expressions on the main character are also well defined; you can sense his impatience while he waits for the photos to be developed, then his wonder and surprise as he looks through the photos. This book definitely calls for several “reads” in order to study the pictures for any details missed the first time around.

Review Excerpt(s)
Kirkus Reviews – “From arguably the most inventive and cerebral visual storyteller in children's literature, comes a wordless invitation to drift with the tide, with the story, with your eyes, with your imagination."

School Library Journal – “Shifting perspectives, from close-ups to landscape views, and a layout incorporating broad spreads and boxed sequences, add drama and motion to the storytelling and echo the photographic theme.”

Child Magazine – “Though wordless, this intriguing book is a storytelling marvel.”

Connections
This book lends itself to several different activities for both elementary and middle school students.

• Teachers can use this book to model the importance of detail in writing.
• Students can take a frame of the book and write a paragraph that shows the details the author included in that particular frame.
• Students can practice comparing and contrasting the author’s style by comparing this book to one of his other books.
• Teachers can use the book for a lesson on mood by having the student’s study the main character’s facial expression and apply emotions to the expressions. As an extension, students can work with synonyms for the emotions they name.
• Students can take one of the photos of the underwater world and write a story explaining what is happening and how the events in that particular picture came about.

Purpose

This blog will be the home of the book reviews required in my MLS class, Literature for Children and Young Adults. In the next few weeks, you will see reviews of various picture books and YA novels. Please feel free to offer constructive criticism of the reviews. :)