Glenn, Mel. 1982. Class Dismissed!: High School Poems. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0899190758.
Mel Glenn’s first book, CLASS DISMISSED!: HIGH SCHOOL POEMS, which was published in 1982, is a book of poems that are sometimes interconnected, though not always. The poems are written in free verse. Each poem represents the voice and experience of one student, which allowed Glenn to provide a multicultural cross-section of a typical high school. Glenn, a now retired high school English teacher, explores topics like poverty, college fears, fights with parents, teen sex, cheating, and violence with a students’ voice. Many poems were accompanied by a black and white still photo taken by a vice principal of real high school students at a Brooklyn high school. The photographs help the reader put a face on the speaker of the poem, though because this book was published in the 80s, the styles, both clothes and hair, prove somewhat amusing.
The way that Glenn interconnects the poems is interesting, with characters inflicting damage on each other by accident or on purpose. The effect is very similar to real life where students struggle to define themselves and create a place for them in the whole. For example, in “Allen Greshner,” Allen calls a girl named Tracy, to ask her to the prom. For some reason he can not understand, she refuses. He all the while is trying to figure out what is wrong with him. In the very next poem, “Maria Preosi,” Maria, Tracy’s sister, “accepted calmly, meekly, / My position in her shadow / And did not even whisper a syllable of revenge.” (Glenn, 35.) In “Jeanette Jaffe,” the speaker is a young woman who has a crush on her French teacher, who happens to be married. “Last week I put a letter in his mailbox, / Saying on paper what I was afraid to say in person.” (Glenn, 45.)
Glenn writes both humorous and very tragic poems, which demonstrate his ability to express clever turns of phrase with ease. In “Bernard Pearlman,” (Glenn, 88.) the young man uses mathematical and statistics terms to create a very funny diversion to precede the next poem, a sad commentary on life in the U.S. from the perspective of a Vietnamese immigrant. “I have see children with bloated bellies cry, / with no strength left to make sounds….In this new country my body grows. / But at school I look into the faces around me, / Wide-eyed, well-fed, unblinking. / How could they know? / How could they not know? / America, Land of the Free, Home of the Ignorant.”(Glenn, 89.) Glenn moved on with his poetry. “From this collection design it was a natural progression to develop a story with each character giving a viewpoint of the conflict. Characters expanded to include school personnel, such as guidance counselors and teachers. Glenn managed to take diverse viewpoints written in free verse and create a cohesive and suspenseful story.”(Chance, 34.) This book is easy to read because Glenn uses language exactly as the high school student would and this enables each character to speak directly to the reader in a natural flowing rhythm.
Reference List:
Glenn, Mel. 1982. “Maria Preosi,” In Class Dismissed! High School Poems. New York: Clarion Books,35.
Glenn, Mel. 1982. “Jeanette Jaffe,” In Class Dismissed! High School Poems. New York: Clarion Books, 45.
Glenn, Mel. 1982. “Bernard Pearlman,” In Class Dismissed! High School Poems. New York: Clarion Books, 88.
Glenn, Mel. 1982. “Song Vu Chin,” In Class Dismissed! High School Poems. New York: Clarion Books, 89.
Chance, Rosemary. 2004. “Novels in Verse for Teens: A Poetry Phenomenon.” Mississippi Libraries Vol. 68 No. 2 (Summer) 34.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Topic 6: Preposterous: Poems of Youth, selected by Paul Janezcko
Janeczko, Paul B. 1991. Preposterous: Poems of Youth. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0531059014.
The poems in PREPOSTEROUS: POEMS OF YOUTH were selected by Paul Janeczko and include poems by people some young adults might know, such as Langston Hughes, Gary Soto or Robert Penn Warren, but the majority are not as well known. The poems are arranged more or less thematically, though sections are not labeled as being on one topic or another. The poems, though written by adults, express emotions and views held by many teens as they grow up. Most of the poems are written without rhyme, in a free verse style that reads as most people speak. “More than half of the over one hundred poems reflect a male point of view, perhaps indicating special appeal to older boys who often feel that poetry has little to offer them.” (Fader.)
Janeszko chose to title the book PREPOSTEROUS from one of the poems, written by Jim Hall about a boy dreaming that a girl with a “the Best….” list would list him under something besides, “Wittiest.”(Hall, 21.) Perhaps his thought was that someone, particularly an adult would find the poems and experiences they express to be preposterous. One poem, “Sister” by H. R. Coursen, attempts to capture the author’s experience being the only girl in a house of brothers, “Younger than they, / and not the same. / Girl growing amid/ a grove of brothers. / They took my dolls/ one day into their/ forbidden circle/ in the woods, / drove sticks/ into the cleared dirt, / and burned them/ at the stake.” (Coursen, 36.)For at least one reviewer, this calls to mind a certain younger brother.
The poems fit together as teenagers do in a school, some clashing and colliding as they try to find their own space, while others hang alone and separate on the page. Janezcko selected poems that require the reader to think about their own experiences and how they relate to the experiences of the poets, which is something that a good poem will do. The poems evoke the runaway emotions of young adulthood and the issues, like death, sex, love and despair, teenagers experience as they strive to adulthood. The result is a book that truly does seem preposterous in its attempt to capture a multitude of voices expressing their experiences as young adults and yet it pulls off the capture in a magnificent way.
Reference Lst:
Fader, Ellen. 1991. Review of Preposterous: Poems of Youth selected by Paul Janezcko. Horn Book Magazine, Vol. 67 Issue 4 (Jul/Aug), 471.
Hall, Jim. 1986. “Preposterous.” In Preposterous: Poems of Youth, selected by Paul Janezcko. New York: Orchard Books, 21.
Coursen, H. R. 1986. “Sister.” In Preposterous: Poems of Youth, selected by Paul Janezcko. New York: Orchard Books. 36.
The poems in PREPOSTEROUS: POEMS OF YOUTH were selected by Paul Janeczko and include poems by people some young adults might know, such as Langston Hughes, Gary Soto or Robert Penn Warren, but the majority are not as well known. The poems are arranged more or less thematically, though sections are not labeled as being on one topic or another. The poems, though written by adults, express emotions and views held by many teens as they grow up. Most of the poems are written without rhyme, in a free verse style that reads as most people speak. “More than half of the over one hundred poems reflect a male point of view, perhaps indicating special appeal to older boys who often feel that poetry has little to offer them.” (Fader.)
Janeszko chose to title the book PREPOSTEROUS from one of the poems, written by Jim Hall about a boy dreaming that a girl with a “the Best….” list would list him under something besides, “Wittiest.”(Hall, 21.) Perhaps his thought was that someone, particularly an adult would find the poems and experiences they express to be preposterous. One poem, “Sister” by H. R. Coursen, attempts to capture the author’s experience being the only girl in a house of brothers, “Younger than they, / and not the same. / Girl growing amid/ a grove of brothers. / They took my dolls/ one day into their/ forbidden circle/ in the woods, / drove sticks/ into the cleared dirt, / and burned them/ at the stake.” (Coursen, 36.)For at least one reviewer, this calls to mind a certain younger brother.
The poems fit together as teenagers do in a school, some clashing and colliding as they try to find their own space, while others hang alone and separate on the page. Janezcko selected poems that require the reader to think about their own experiences and how they relate to the experiences of the poets, which is something that a good poem will do. The poems evoke the runaway emotions of young adulthood and the issues, like death, sex, love and despair, teenagers experience as they strive to adulthood. The result is a book that truly does seem preposterous in its attempt to capture a multitude of voices expressing their experiences as young adults and yet it pulls off the capture in a magnificent way.
Reference Lst:
Fader, Ellen. 1991. Review of Preposterous: Poems of Youth selected by Paul Janezcko. Horn Book Magazine, Vol. 67 Issue 4 (Jul/Aug), 471.
Hall, Jim. 1986. “Preposterous.” In Preposterous: Poems of Youth, selected by Paul Janezcko. New York: Orchard Books, 21.
Coursen, H. R. 1986. “Sister.” In Preposterous: Poems of Youth, selected by Paul Janezcko. New York: Orchard Books. 36.
Topic 6: Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart
Cart, Michael, ed. 1999. Tomorrowland: Ten Stories about the Future. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 0590376780.
What does the future hold? Mankind has always wondered about this and men have tried everything possible to figure it out. With the Y2K close at hand, Michael Cart invited nine other authors to write a short story to express their theory, hope or vision of the future. The variety that he received spanned millennia, from Jon Scieszka’s story set in 33,001 B.C. to Gloria Skurzynski’s story set on Mars. The authors provide bleak visions where dogs and books are almost extinct, to hopeful visions where baseball will always be played. The stories all tackle one issue or another, issues often created by society. “Such different stories. Such different futures. Yet all of them contain the same implicit invitation to think about how the seeds of possibility we planted in the past and continue to sow in the present might blossom into the future.” (Cart, ix.)
Lois Lowry’s “Rage” is a story about who young man saw his grandfather become bitter after selling part of his land to government for a wildlife preserve. The government “had planned for Pop’s acreage to the west was for a kind of nature that had begun to evolve in our state and every other.” (Lowry, 97.) The betrayal leads to serious consequences for all involved. “Rage” is contrasted with the specter of hope that one monk shares with a novice monk at the turn of the first millennium. In “Night of the Plague” by James Cross Giblin, the bubonic plague ravages Europe, where one young monk wonders if the world is ending. As he faces a disease that is killing old and young alike, he realizes his own mortality and like one of the victims he is treating fears the disease means it is the end of the world. Asking an older monk what he thinks life will be like a thousand years from then, he ponders the older monk’s response. “’I have no idea,’ said Brother Paul. ‘But you can be certain of one thing; it will be very different.’”(Giblin, 167.) Taking hope from this the young monk goes back to his duties tending the ill in the infirmary, ready to give hope to the sick.
Science fiction is a genre that is stretched by the short stories included in this anthology. The stories are connected through a common theme, "visions of times to come."(Publisher’s Weekly.) One critic has mentioned the distinctive cover art for the story, “The attractive (well, to teens) cover art of a spaceship shoulder tattoo will reel readers in, and the stories will net them, hook, line, and sinker.” (Farber.) A detail that the reviewer didn’t mention was that the person, pictured looking out into space seems to be wearing a suit of armor that seems to be riveted, which ties the medieval story into the rockets in outer space stories. The stories run the gamut of human emotion, cautions the reader about societal dangers often taken for granted, and offers snatches of hope for the future.
Reference List:
Cart, Michael, ed. 1999. Tomorrowland: Ten Stories About the Future. New York: Scholastic Press.
Farber, Susan. 1999. Review of Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. School Library Journal. Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=ba6kWDUAgn&isbn=0590376780&itm=1. Last Accessed 7 December 2004.
Giblin, James Cross. 1999. Night of the Plague. In Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. New York: Scholastic Press. 167.
Lowry, Lois. 1999. Rage. In Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. New York: Scholastic Press. 97.
___________. 1999. Review of Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. Publisher’s Weekly. (Oct.). Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=ba6kWDUAgn&isbn=0590376780&itm=1. Last Accessed 7 December 2004.
What does the future hold? Mankind has always wondered about this and men have tried everything possible to figure it out. With the Y2K close at hand, Michael Cart invited nine other authors to write a short story to express their theory, hope or vision of the future. The variety that he received spanned millennia, from Jon Scieszka’s story set in 33,001 B.C. to Gloria Skurzynski’s story set on Mars. The authors provide bleak visions where dogs and books are almost extinct, to hopeful visions where baseball will always be played. The stories all tackle one issue or another, issues often created by society. “Such different stories. Such different futures. Yet all of them contain the same implicit invitation to think about how the seeds of possibility we planted in the past and continue to sow in the present might blossom into the future.” (Cart, ix.)
Lois Lowry’s “Rage” is a story about who young man saw his grandfather become bitter after selling part of his land to government for a wildlife preserve. The government “had planned for Pop’s acreage to the west was for a kind of nature that had begun to evolve in our state and every other.” (Lowry, 97.) The betrayal leads to serious consequences for all involved. “Rage” is contrasted with the specter of hope that one monk shares with a novice monk at the turn of the first millennium. In “Night of the Plague” by James Cross Giblin, the bubonic plague ravages Europe, where one young monk wonders if the world is ending. As he faces a disease that is killing old and young alike, he realizes his own mortality and like one of the victims he is treating fears the disease means it is the end of the world. Asking an older monk what he thinks life will be like a thousand years from then, he ponders the older monk’s response. “’I have no idea,’ said Brother Paul. ‘But you can be certain of one thing; it will be very different.’”(Giblin, 167.) Taking hope from this the young monk goes back to his duties tending the ill in the infirmary, ready to give hope to the sick.
Science fiction is a genre that is stretched by the short stories included in this anthology. The stories are connected through a common theme, "visions of times to come."(Publisher’s Weekly.) One critic has mentioned the distinctive cover art for the story, “The attractive (well, to teens) cover art of a spaceship shoulder tattoo will reel readers in, and the stories will net them, hook, line, and sinker.” (Farber.) A detail that the reviewer didn’t mention was that the person, pictured looking out into space seems to be wearing a suit of armor that seems to be riveted, which ties the medieval story into the rockets in outer space stories. The stories run the gamut of human emotion, cautions the reader about societal dangers often taken for granted, and offers snatches of hope for the future.
Reference List:
Cart, Michael, ed. 1999. Tomorrowland: Ten Stories About the Future. New York: Scholastic Press.
Farber, Susan. 1999. Review of Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. School Library Journal. Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=ba6kWDUAgn&isbn=0590376780&itm=1. Last Accessed 7 December 2004.
Giblin, James Cross. 1999. Night of the Plague. In Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. New York: Scholastic Press. 167.
Lowry, Lois. 1999. Rage. In Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. New York: Scholastic Press. 97.
___________. 1999. Review of Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future, ed. Michael Cart. Publisher’s Weekly. (Oct.). Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=ba6kWDUAgn&isbn=0590376780&itm=1. Last Accessed 7 December 2004.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Topic 5: Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer
Meyer, Carolyn. 1999. Mary, Bloody Mary. New York: Harcourt. ISBN: 0152019065.
In MARY, BLOODY MARY, Carolyn Meyer takes the reader back in time to meet one of history’s most unpopular queens. But the author takes the reader farther than the reign of Mary, instead going back to the point where King Henry VIII has decided to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Mary struggles to deal with the fact that her father has separated her from her mother, declared her a bastard and has been “bewitched” by Anne Boleyn. The first person account gives new insight into the character of Mary, who was forced to renounce her Catholic faith, take care of the infant Elizabeth, and who lost almost all the people she had counted on in her young life. Uncertain of where she will live, what will be expected of her, and sometimes, even if she will live, Mary keeps track of the ever changing political climate by listening very carefully to what is being said around her. A historical note follows the story and explains what happens to Mary in the years following the one covered by the book.
“Meyer gives Mary, Henry, and Anne strong, distinct personalities and motives, enlivens historical events with closely observed details of dress and ceremony, and drives it all forward with engrossing emotional intensity” (Kirkus.) The emotional clashes between these three people is part of the draw of this novel. Almost anyone can tell you what happened to Anne Boleyn and that Mary would be queen, but Meyer’s portrayals give a human element to these real people that is missing from history texts. History texts studied by young adults often times do not mention that Mary was expected to care for Elizabeth or gloss over the hardships that the royals of this period faced. Meyer provides the emotional suspense of the political back and forth, including numerous arranged engagements, that swirled around Mary before the split of her parents and the plotting that followed the break. “The book captures the glamour and glitter of court life during the 1500s, as well as the sinister conspiracy that resulted when Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, bore no male heir.” (Johnson, 106.)
The novel is engrossing even though the outcome is generally obvious. Mary will survive her youth, but the effects that this turbulent portion of her life will cause her to slide to the extreme. “Some of it is repetitious, as undoubtedly court life was, but one comes away with a feeling for what it must have been like not only to live then, but to live as a person of royal blood squashed under the thumb of necessity and Anne Boleyn.” (Kirkus.) Meyer also foreshadows some of the coming events as she handles how Mary was responsible for caring for Elizabeth and the swirling emotions she had for the redheaded infant who loved her, but who represented all that she had been through. Readers are pulled into the story by the strong emotions and the human touch that each character is given.
Reference List:
Johnson, Nancy J. 2000. “Children’s Books: Discussing Compelling Characters.” Reading Teacher. Vol. 54 issue 1 (Sept.), 106-109.
2000. Review of Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer. Kirkus Reviews. Available at:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=0152164561&itm=1. Last Accessed 27 November 2004.
In MARY, BLOODY MARY, Carolyn Meyer takes the reader back in time to meet one of history’s most unpopular queens. But the author takes the reader farther than the reign of Mary, instead going back to the point where King Henry VIII has decided to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Mary struggles to deal with the fact that her father has separated her from her mother, declared her a bastard and has been “bewitched” by Anne Boleyn. The first person account gives new insight into the character of Mary, who was forced to renounce her Catholic faith, take care of the infant Elizabeth, and who lost almost all the people she had counted on in her young life. Uncertain of where she will live, what will be expected of her, and sometimes, even if she will live, Mary keeps track of the ever changing political climate by listening very carefully to what is being said around her. A historical note follows the story and explains what happens to Mary in the years following the one covered by the book.
“Meyer gives Mary, Henry, and Anne strong, distinct personalities and motives, enlivens historical events with closely observed details of dress and ceremony, and drives it all forward with engrossing emotional intensity” (Kirkus.) The emotional clashes between these three people is part of the draw of this novel. Almost anyone can tell you what happened to Anne Boleyn and that Mary would be queen, but Meyer’s portrayals give a human element to these real people that is missing from history texts. History texts studied by young adults often times do not mention that Mary was expected to care for Elizabeth or gloss over the hardships that the royals of this period faced. Meyer provides the emotional suspense of the political back and forth, including numerous arranged engagements, that swirled around Mary before the split of her parents and the plotting that followed the break. “The book captures the glamour and glitter of court life during the 1500s, as well as the sinister conspiracy that resulted when Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, bore no male heir.” (Johnson, 106.)
The novel is engrossing even though the outcome is generally obvious. Mary will survive her youth, but the effects that this turbulent portion of her life will cause her to slide to the extreme. “Some of it is repetitious, as undoubtedly court life was, but one comes away with a feeling for what it must have been like not only to live then, but to live as a person of royal blood squashed under the thumb of necessity and Anne Boleyn.” (Kirkus.) Meyer also foreshadows some of the coming events as she handles how Mary was responsible for caring for Elizabeth and the swirling emotions she had for the redheaded infant who loved her, but who represented all that she had been through. Readers are pulled into the story by the strong emotions and the human touch that each character is given.
Reference List:
Johnson, Nancy J. 2000. “Children’s Books: Discussing Compelling Characters.” Reading Teacher. Vol. 54 issue 1 (Sept.), 106-109.
2000. Review of Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer. Kirkus Reviews. Available at:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=0152164561&itm=1. Last Accessed 27 November 2004.
Topic 5: The Printing Press by Milton Meltzer
Meltzer, Milton. 2003. Printing Press. New York: Benchmark Books.
ISBN: 076141536X.
Milton Meltzer takes young adult reader back to the 15th century for an examination in the development and evolution of the printing process in his nonfiction book, THE PRINTING PRESS. Meltzer has written text that is simple and easy to understand yet does not patronize or condescend by using language too easy for students. He also provides information in asides that define terms or provides information about important people. But Meltzer does not focus solely on the printing press as it was invented. He also explores the resulting evolution of information and societal changes stemming from the invention. “Meltzer emphasizes the more positive outcomes of the printing press. Science, religion, democracy, and exploration all benefited enormously from the widespread dissemination of information and knowledge that followed the advent of movable type.” (Kopple.)
THE PRINTING PRESS looks also at how people in history have used the invention of the printing press to bring about some form of social change. For example, “Bibles printed in vernacular languages rather than in Latin. Now people could read scriptures for themselves, said the Lutherans.”(Meltzer, 45.) Throughout history, reading was limited to the wealthy and to the clergy. With the advent of the printing press more and more people were able to learn to read. Meltzer also notes that even in England, English was not always understood from part of the country to the next, but that printers in their commercial interests had to make the language understandable if they wanted the book to sell. “In this work readers… will then see how in a variety of situations the printed word has influenced human behavior. Examples such as Tom Paine's Common Sense or William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper The Liberator are but two ways in which ideas were spread via publication. Meltzer touches upon a variety of such exemplars of the ways printing presses have been used to shift public opinion and shape history.” (Romaneck.)
Meltzer included a couple of websites that are related to the printing press as well as a bibliography. These important additions will aid students should they be working on a project, or simply interested in history and how it was shaped by the invention of the printing press. The evolution of print is touched on and its future role in society as well. Melzter’s easy handling of the subject material is enlightening and the information about famous people is interesting and relevant. It is interesting to note the famous people who began their careers as printers, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman and Samuel Clemens and people who as printers made a difference in the way our country evolved, such as William Lloyd Garrison, founder of The Liberator, an anti-slavery publication, and the man who published “Frederick Douglass’s slave narrative and rise to leadership in the abolition movement.” (Meltzer, 100.) Meltzer also included images that have been printed on the press, images of ancient forms of writing and paintings of people important to the subject. These images break up the text and allow the reader to “rest” their eyes before moving on to the next section of text. This book would be natural selection for a history class as it contains information about a major instrument of change and also some information about forms of writing throughout history.
Reference List:
Meltzer, Milton. 2003. The Printing Press. New York: Benchmark Books.
Kopple, Jody. 2003. Review of The Printing Press by Milton Meltzer. Library Journal. Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=076141536X&itm=1. Last accessed 27 November 2004.
Romaneck, Greg M. 2003. Review of The Printing Press by Milton Meltzer. Children’s Literature. Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=076141536X&itm=1. Last accessed 27 November 2004.
ISBN: 076141536X.
Milton Meltzer takes young adult reader back to the 15th century for an examination in the development and evolution of the printing process in his nonfiction book, THE PRINTING PRESS. Meltzer has written text that is simple and easy to understand yet does not patronize or condescend by using language too easy for students. He also provides information in asides that define terms or provides information about important people. But Meltzer does not focus solely on the printing press as it was invented. He also explores the resulting evolution of information and societal changes stemming from the invention. “Meltzer emphasizes the more positive outcomes of the printing press. Science, religion, democracy, and exploration all benefited enormously from the widespread dissemination of information and knowledge that followed the advent of movable type.” (Kopple.)
THE PRINTING PRESS looks also at how people in history have used the invention of the printing press to bring about some form of social change. For example, “Bibles printed in vernacular languages rather than in Latin. Now people could read scriptures for themselves, said the Lutherans.”(Meltzer, 45.) Throughout history, reading was limited to the wealthy and to the clergy. With the advent of the printing press more and more people were able to learn to read. Meltzer also notes that even in England, English was not always understood from part of the country to the next, but that printers in their commercial interests had to make the language understandable if they wanted the book to sell. “In this work readers… will then see how in a variety of situations the printed word has influenced human behavior. Examples such as Tom Paine's Common Sense or William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper The Liberator are but two ways in which ideas were spread via publication. Meltzer touches upon a variety of such exemplars of the ways printing presses have been used to shift public opinion and shape history.” (Romaneck.)
Meltzer included a couple of websites that are related to the printing press as well as a bibliography. These important additions will aid students should they be working on a project, or simply interested in history and how it was shaped by the invention of the printing press. The evolution of print is touched on and its future role in society as well. Melzter’s easy handling of the subject material is enlightening and the information about famous people is interesting and relevant. It is interesting to note the famous people who began their careers as printers, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman and Samuel Clemens and people who as printers made a difference in the way our country evolved, such as William Lloyd Garrison, founder of The Liberator, an anti-slavery publication, and the man who published “Frederick Douglass’s slave narrative and rise to leadership in the abolition movement.” (Meltzer, 100.) Meltzer also included images that have been printed on the press, images of ancient forms of writing and paintings of people important to the subject. These images break up the text and allow the reader to “rest” their eyes before moving on to the next section of text. This book would be natural selection for a history class as it contains information about a major instrument of change and also some information about forms of writing throughout history.
Reference List:
Meltzer, Milton. 2003. The Printing Press. New York: Benchmark Books.
Kopple, Jody. 2003. Review of The Printing Press by Milton Meltzer. Library Journal. Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=076141536X&itm=1. Last accessed 27 November 2004.
Romaneck, Greg M. 2003. Review of The Printing Press by Milton Meltzer. Children’s Literature. Available at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=076141536X&itm=1. Last accessed 27 November 2004.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Topic 5: Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
Gantos, Jack. 2002. Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 0374399883.
Jack Gantos’ novels for children are often funny and touching, so it is somewhat of a shock to read the author’s super-serious autobiography, HOLE IN MY LIFE. Covering only a small span of years, Gantos chronicles his life away from his parents to his stint in prison for dealing marijuana. Most of the tale deals with the trip from Puerto Rico to New York, smuggling hashish. Gantos describes how he was arrested for dealing the marijuana and the court process that sent him to prison. The story the authors relates pulls no punches and deals honestly with the harsh realities he faced in prison, including both physical and sexual violence, and the aftereffects that sometimes still haunt him. One critic has said, “It is as much a cautionary tale for adults as for kids. The lesson that Gantos wants adults to get is that we should not give up on kids who are in trouble. With the right help, and a lot of luck, they may survive and go on to become adults who make the world a better place.” (Nilsen, 82.)
Gantos’ narrative is touched by moments of poignancy that demonstrate how naïve a young man he was. “Like most kids I was aware that the world was filled with dangerous people, yet I wasn’t certain I could always spot them coming. My dad, however, was a deadeye when it came to spotting the outlaw class.” (Gantos, 5.) But the tale points out with a vivid brush how all that can change. “Dad’s keen eye for spotting criminals of all stripes was impressive. But it wasn’t perfect. He never pegged me for being one of them.” (Gantos, 7.) Both during the journey and throughout his time in prison, Gantos kept a journal. The first was used as evidence in court and the second was written between the lines of a prison copy of The Brothers Karamazov. He received the first back after writing for the court records, but the second he lost because the guard would not let him leave with prison property. “It was a joy to have new thoughts. And then I had a funny revelation that I really didn’t lose my journal entirely. That between the lines of new, free thoughts were compressed the secret memories of my days in prison.” (Gantos, 196.)
Gantos was always writer at heart, and the act of writing is a pivot point of the story. Whether he was journaling or creating fiction, writing was an activity that brought comfort and peace to Gantos. At first, after his release, he tried writing stories about the experiences and men he met there, "tired of all the blood and guts and hard lives and hard hearts." (Gantos, 198.) It is the journal that Gantos hopes lasts in that prison he left. “Now I wonder if that volume is still on the shelf. I hope so. That thought sustains me. I imagine some prisoner checking it out and reading my book within that book. And maybe he will add his thoughts, and maybe others will, too. Maybe the library will become filled with books with the trapped world of prisoner’s thoughts concealed between the lines.” (Gantos, 200.) The thought is the mark of the true writer. Gantos’ story is moving and sad and hard hitting. It is not for younger readers because of that very fact, but it is a book that teens and adults should read and discuss.
Reference list:
Gantos, Jack. 2002. Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Nilsen, Alleen Pace. 2002. Review of Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 46, Issue 1 (Sept.), 82.
Jack Gantos’ novels for children are often funny and touching, so it is somewhat of a shock to read the author’s super-serious autobiography, HOLE IN MY LIFE. Covering only a small span of years, Gantos chronicles his life away from his parents to his stint in prison for dealing marijuana. Most of the tale deals with the trip from Puerto Rico to New York, smuggling hashish. Gantos describes how he was arrested for dealing the marijuana and the court process that sent him to prison. The story the authors relates pulls no punches and deals honestly with the harsh realities he faced in prison, including both physical and sexual violence, and the aftereffects that sometimes still haunt him. One critic has said, “It is as much a cautionary tale for adults as for kids. The lesson that Gantos wants adults to get is that we should not give up on kids who are in trouble. With the right help, and a lot of luck, they may survive and go on to become adults who make the world a better place.” (Nilsen, 82.)
Gantos’ narrative is touched by moments of poignancy that demonstrate how naïve a young man he was. “Like most kids I was aware that the world was filled with dangerous people, yet I wasn’t certain I could always spot them coming. My dad, however, was a deadeye when it came to spotting the outlaw class.” (Gantos, 5.) But the tale points out with a vivid brush how all that can change. “Dad’s keen eye for spotting criminals of all stripes was impressive. But it wasn’t perfect. He never pegged me for being one of them.” (Gantos, 7.) Both during the journey and throughout his time in prison, Gantos kept a journal. The first was used as evidence in court and the second was written between the lines of a prison copy of The Brothers Karamazov. He received the first back after writing for the court records, but the second he lost because the guard would not let him leave with prison property. “It was a joy to have new thoughts. And then I had a funny revelation that I really didn’t lose my journal entirely. That between the lines of new, free thoughts were compressed the secret memories of my days in prison.” (Gantos, 196.)
Gantos was always writer at heart, and the act of writing is a pivot point of the story. Whether he was journaling or creating fiction, writing was an activity that brought comfort and peace to Gantos. At first, after his release, he tried writing stories about the experiences and men he met there, "tired of all the blood and guts and hard lives and hard hearts." (Gantos, 198.) It is the journal that Gantos hopes lasts in that prison he left. “Now I wonder if that volume is still on the shelf. I hope so. That thought sustains me. I imagine some prisoner checking it out and reading my book within that book. And maybe he will add his thoughts, and maybe others will, too. Maybe the library will become filled with books with the trapped world of prisoner’s thoughts concealed between the lines.” (Gantos, 200.) The thought is the mark of the true writer. Gantos’ story is moving and sad and hard hitting. It is not for younger readers because of that very fact, but it is a book that teens and adults should read and discuss.
Reference list:
Gantos, Jack. 2002. Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Nilsen, Alleen Pace. 2002. Review of Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 46, Issue 1 (Sept.), 82.
Topic 5: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan *one page number illegible on copy, will be updated on Monday.
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2000. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 0439120411.
ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan is a novel following a young woman as she leavers her life at her family’s ranch, El Rancho de las Rosas, to travel to the Mexican farm worker camps in California. The book opens in 1924, but most of the story takes place in 1930, during the height of the Great Depression. Following a tragic reversal of fortune, Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their home and Abuelita, her grandmother, and travel with three of their former servants to California where they are promised work on a farm. Esperanza, who had previously been brought in a life of wealth and privilege, must learn how to cook, take care of babies and even how to sweep. As the story moves on through the year, Esperanza’s mother falls ill, protestors strike in the fields, and Esperanza learns what it means to be poor.
Ryan writes compelling story full of images beautiful and poignant. One of the scenes repeated through the novel has Esperanza laying on the ground, quiet and still, trying to hear the heartbeat of the earth. “She stared at Papa, not wanting to say a word. Not wanting to lose the sound. Not wanting to forget the feel of the heart of the valley.” (Ryan, 3.) She also uses two types of dolls in her story to illuminate the difference between the campesina (farm workers) and the lady of the rancho. The last gift that Esperanza’s Papa purchased for her birthday was a fine doll. She opened this present after her father was killed. “Finally, she opened the box she knew was the doll…the last thing Papa would ever give her. …She hugged the doll to her chest and walked out of the room, leaving all the other gifts behind.” (Ryan, 28.) Ryan also includes a doll made of yarn, which was available to the immigrant workers. Esperanza measures time differently to relate her story to Abuelita. “When Esperanza told Abuelita their story, about all that had happened to them, she didn’t measure time by the usual seasons. Instead, she told it as field-worker, in spans of fruits and vegetables and by what needed to be done to the land.” (Ryan, 246.)
“Set against the multi-ethnic labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including a dire illness and a difficult romance.” (Goldsmith, 171.) The imagery and easy language of Ryan’s storytelling adds a realistic edge to the dilemma that faced both the Mexican immigrants and the victims of the Depression. The social issue of the Mexican Repatriation and the Deportation Act of 1929 is approached realistically and humanly enough to show the effects of the racial prejudice that occurred at the time. Ryan explained in the author’s note how people that she talked to held no grudges as a result of that prejudice. “When I asked about prejudice I was told, ‘Sure there was prejudice, horrible prejudice, but that’s how things were then.” (Ryan, 261.) “Ryan fluidly juxtaposes world events… with one family’s will to survive—while introducing readers to Spanish words and Mexican customs.” (Publisher’s Weekly, XX.) This story was selected to be a Texas Bluebonnet book in 2002.
Reference List:
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2000. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic Press.
Goldsmith, Francesca. 2000. Review of Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. School Library Journal Vol. 46 number 10 (October), 171.
2000. Review of Review of Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Publisher’s Weekly. Vol. 247 number 41 (9 October), XX.
ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan is a novel following a young woman as she leavers her life at her family’s ranch, El Rancho de las Rosas, to travel to the Mexican farm worker camps in California. The book opens in 1924, but most of the story takes place in 1930, during the height of the Great Depression. Following a tragic reversal of fortune, Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their home and Abuelita, her grandmother, and travel with three of their former servants to California where they are promised work on a farm. Esperanza, who had previously been brought in a life of wealth and privilege, must learn how to cook, take care of babies and even how to sweep. As the story moves on through the year, Esperanza’s mother falls ill, protestors strike in the fields, and Esperanza learns what it means to be poor.
Ryan writes compelling story full of images beautiful and poignant. One of the scenes repeated through the novel has Esperanza laying on the ground, quiet and still, trying to hear the heartbeat of the earth. “She stared at Papa, not wanting to say a word. Not wanting to lose the sound. Not wanting to forget the feel of the heart of the valley.” (Ryan, 3.) She also uses two types of dolls in her story to illuminate the difference between the campesina (farm workers) and the lady of the rancho. The last gift that Esperanza’s Papa purchased for her birthday was a fine doll. She opened this present after her father was killed. “Finally, she opened the box she knew was the doll…the last thing Papa would ever give her. …She hugged the doll to her chest and walked out of the room, leaving all the other gifts behind.” (Ryan, 28.) Ryan also includes a doll made of yarn, which was available to the immigrant workers. Esperanza measures time differently to relate her story to Abuelita. “When Esperanza told Abuelita their story, about all that had happened to them, she didn’t measure time by the usual seasons. Instead, she told it as field-worker, in spans of fruits and vegetables and by what needed to be done to the land.” (Ryan, 246.)
“Set against the multi-ethnic labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including a dire illness and a difficult romance.” (Goldsmith, 171.) The imagery and easy language of Ryan’s storytelling adds a realistic edge to the dilemma that faced both the Mexican immigrants and the victims of the Depression. The social issue of the Mexican Repatriation and the Deportation Act of 1929 is approached realistically and humanly enough to show the effects of the racial prejudice that occurred at the time. Ryan explained in the author’s note how people that she talked to held no grudges as a result of that prejudice. “When I asked about prejudice I was told, ‘Sure there was prejudice, horrible prejudice, but that’s how things were then.” (Ryan, 261.) “Ryan fluidly juxtaposes world events… with one family’s will to survive—while introducing readers to Spanish words and Mexican customs.” (Publisher’s Weekly, XX.) This story was selected to be a Texas Bluebonnet book in 2002.
Reference List:
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2000. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic Press.
Goldsmith, Francesca. 2000. Review of Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. School Library Journal Vol. 46 number 10 (October), 171.
2000. Review of Review of Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Publisher’s Weekly. Vol. 247 number 41 (9 October), XX.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Topic 4: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Card, Orson Scott. 1985. Ender’s Game. Rev. ed. 1991. New York: Tor Book. ISBN: 0312932081.
ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card
In Orson Scott Card’s novel ENDER’S GAME, all of Earth is in grave peril of an invasion by an alien force known as the Buggers. In a world where families are limited to two children apiece and these children are fitted with a monitor that allows unseen military personnel to watch, see, hear and feel what the children feel, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is unusual. He is most unusual in that he is a third child, has had his monitor in place for far longer than his brother or his sister, and at six years old, he is a certified genius. Ender is recruited by the military to take part in Battle School, a military-type school where cadets are trained to fight the Buggers. The novel chronicles the journey that makes, breaks and molds Ender into an unwilling and unwitting weapon in the interstellar war.
ENDER’S GAME is a tale “smoothly written, but morally disquieting.” (Pringle, 107.) The last battle has a predictable outcome, but Card’s ending gentles the cynical edge by allowing Ender to reunite with his sister, though it is a strained relationship, and by allowing Ender to take the last larva of the Bugger race with him as he travels from planet to planet as “Speaker for the Dead.” Card poses questions in a subtle manner that allows the reader to come to their own conclusion about how they want the future to turn out. Ender becomes a weapon for the adults of the novel, an experiment that had to be because only a child would unknowingly affect the downfall of an entire race.
The paradoxes of the novel spin around Ender. Ender fights to win, not to kill, and yet he does just that. He fought to defend himself on earth and in space to the point that he not only broke bones of his attackers, but also killed two attackers. The military never tells Ender directly what happened to the boys, so the effect is that Ender is still naïve and yet cynical because in his heart he knows. Called “a perfect juvenile power-fantasy for the age of computer games” (Pringle, 289.) ENDER’S GAME is a novel that starts out slow and builds with an intensity that draws the reluctant science fiction reader, like me, in. As for the “cynical composition” of the story, Pringles says that “Card tried to make amends in the expanded version and its sequels, making the hero into a genetic experiment who suffers terrible guilt after his genocidal act.”(Pringle, 289.)
Reference List:
Pringle, David. 1990. The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction. New York: Pharos Books. 107.
Pringle, David. 1996. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: The Definitive Illustrated Guide. North Dighton, MA: JG Press. 289.
ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card
In Orson Scott Card’s novel ENDER’S GAME, all of Earth is in grave peril of an invasion by an alien force known as the Buggers. In a world where families are limited to two children apiece and these children are fitted with a monitor that allows unseen military personnel to watch, see, hear and feel what the children feel, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is unusual. He is most unusual in that he is a third child, has had his monitor in place for far longer than his brother or his sister, and at six years old, he is a certified genius. Ender is recruited by the military to take part in Battle School, a military-type school where cadets are trained to fight the Buggers. The novel chronicles the journey that makes, breaks and molds Ender into an unwilling and unwitting weapon in the interstellar war.
ENDER’S GAME is a tale “smoothly written, but morally disquieting.” (Pringle, 107.) The last battle has a predictable outcome, but Card’s ending gentles the cynical edge by allowing Ender to reunite with his sister, though it is a strained relationship, and by allowing Ender to take the last larva of the Bugger race with him as he travels from planet to planet as “Speaker for the Dead.” Card poses questions in a subtle manner that allows the reader to come to their own conclusion about how they want the future to turn out. Ender becomes a weapon for the adults of the novel, an experiment that had to be because only a child would unknowingly affect the downfall of an entire race.
The paradoxes of the novel spin around Ender. Ender fights to win, not to kill, and yet he does just that. He fought to defend himself on earth and in space to the point that he not only broke bones of his attackers, but also killed two attackers. The military never tells Ender directly what happened to the boys, so the effect is that Ender is still naïve and yet cynical because in his heart he knows. Called “a perfect juvenile power-fantasy for the age of computer games” (Pringle, 289.) ENDER’S GAME is a novel that starts out slow and builds with an intensity that draws the reluctant science fiction reader, like me, in. As for the “cynical composition” of the story, Pringles says that “Card tried to make amends in the expanded version and its sequels, making the hero into a genetic experiment who suffers terrible guilt after his genocidal act.”(Pringle, 289.)
Reference List:
Pringle, David. 1990. The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction. New York: Pharos Books. 107.
Pringle, David. 1996. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: The Definitive Illustrated Guide. North Dighton, MA: JG Press. 289.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Margaret Mahy--New Zealand Writer
Margaret Mahy-- New Zealand Writer
Born: Whakatane, New Zealand, March 21, 1936
Lives: Governor’s Bay, New Zealand with husband, Robinson
Children: two daughters
Pets: Three cats, Orsino, Socks and Sabbath; and standard poodle named Baxter
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, taking walks, “fussing” with her pets
First book published: A Lion in the Meadow, 1969
Occupation: Retired from Canterbury Public Library, left to write full-time
Favorites:
Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Book: The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban, The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling and Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Food: Salad Sandwiches
Writer: Diana Wynne Jones, one of them; Always looks forward to reading books by New Zealand authors
Links:
The Maragret Mahy Pages
Available at: http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/MargaretMahy/
K6 Biographies—Maragaret Mahy
Available at: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/k6/mahy.html
Margaret Mahy (from New Zealand Books,Ltd.)
Available at: http://www.nzbooks.com/nzbooks/author.asp?author_id=margaretmahy
Mahy, Margaret
Available at: http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/mahym.html
Books For Young Adults:
Underrunners— A, E (I included this book because it has won two awards in its home country of New Zealand.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1993. Underruners. New York: Chivers. ISBN: 074511671X.
The Door in the Air— (I included this book because it is an anthology of short stories.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1991. The Door in the Air. New York: Dell Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN: 0385302525.
Alchemy— N (I chose to include this book because it is her newest book and has already won an award in New Zealand.)
Mahy, Margaret. 2004. Alchemy. New York: Simon & Schuster’s Children’s. ISBN: 0689850549.
The Catalogue of the Universe.— (Though this book has not won any awards, I chose to include it. I did so because Mahy says that, of all her characters, she thinks she identifies most strongly with Tycho.)
Mahy, Margaret. 2002. The Catalogue of the Universe. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s. ISBN: 068985353X.
The Haunting— C, E (This book has won an award in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1991. The Haunting. New York: Random House Children’s Books. ISBN: 0440404088.
The Tricksters— (This book was chosen because the premise intrigued me: three brothers(the Tricksters of the title) “invade” lives of the vacationers of Carnival’s Hide.)
Mahy, Maragaret. 1999. The Tricksters. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s. ISBN: 0689829108.
Memory— (This book was chosen for inclusion because it deals with personal responsibilities, cultural and ethnic roles.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1989. Memory. New York: Sagebrush Education Resources. Original edition, New York: Penguin, 1989. ISBN: 0613228936.
24 Hours— E, N (This book was included because it won two New Zealand awards.)
Mahy, Margaret. 2000. 24 Hours. New York: McElderberry, Margaret K. Books. ISBN: 0689838840.
The Changeover— C, E ( I chose this book not only because it has won two awards, one in the United Kingdom, and the other in New Zealand, but because it was the first book by this author that I ever read and I never forgot it.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1984. The Changover: A Supernatural Romance. 1st Am. ed. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's. ISBN: 068503032.
A= AIM Children's Book Awards- Established 1990. Awards are presented to New Zealand books in five categories, plus a "Book of the Year". Sponsored by AIM Toothpaste.)
C= Carnegie Medal- Presented annually to an outstanding book published in the United Kingdom.
E= Esther Glen Award- Given for the most distinguished contribution to New Zealand literature for children and young adults.
N= New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2003- Prior to 1997 the awards were known as the AIM Children's Book Awards.
Book Analyses:
Memory and The Other Side of Silence
In Margaret Mahy’s novel, Memory, a young man struggles with his memory of his sister’s death even as an elderly woman battles with Alzheimer’s disease’s effect on her own memory. Johnny Dart is the young man who decides to straighten out his memory by contacting the only other witness, Bonnie. Bonnie was his sister’s friend and the last time he saw her was at the funeral. After a drunken brawl that lands him in court and a fight with his father, Johnny manages, in his still drunken state, to find the home of Bonnie’s parents. They tell him to come back when he is sober and get a friend to take him to catch a cab. He does not catch the cab, but instead passes out in the cab stand. When he comes to he notices a woman, who is terribly confused and who mistakes him for someone she knows. Johnny follows her home with the idea that he is going to make sure that she is in safely for the night, but when he does follow her in, he finds it extremely hard to tear himself away from the woman. As Johnny discovers little slips of paper around her house, he realizes that Sophie has been paying “rent” to someone named Spike everyday, sometimes more than once a day, but made sure she “got a receipt.” Her memory essentially useless, Sophie has become a hazard to herself. In one filthy room, Johnny finds an iron that had burned through what ever she had been ironing, thankfully not igniting a fire that could have killed her.
Sophie’s acceptance of Johnny seems a little too easy and a tad quirky until Johnny realizes that he, for some reason reminds her of a cousin that she once loved. This memory gives Sophie a measure of safety when it comes to letting Johnny help her. The episodes that Mahy uses to demonstrate Sophie’s decline into Alzheimer’s are both funny and incredibly sad at the same time. For example, Sophie lets Johnny spend the night at her house, but she tells him that she is going to lock her door. It is also through these episodes that Mahy ties Johnny’s memories to his present. From meeting and eventually conquering the bully who tormented him as a child, to the surreptitious appearance of Bonnie, the person he has been looking to find, right next door to Sophie, Johnny’s memories are “reoriented” as one critic put it. It was the memory of the past that drove Johnny to this point. He is afraid that he pushed his sister off the cliff. He can almost remember doing just that, but he is not sure if that vague memory is something his mind has come up with to explain why he went along with Bonnie when she lied about where he was when Janine fell. Mahy uses snippets of “memories” to tie her character to his past and demonstrate how memories can both offer comfort and torment.
In helping Sophie, Johnny finds that she is helping him, by giving him a purpose which he has been lacking. He also learns a little more about the sister he lost and about himself. Dancing was always part of him, his feet even tapping a rhythm as he walked.
Mahy explores several issues including the Anglo/Maori culture clash, Alzheimer’s Disease and the poor treatment of the elderly. The images in Mahy’s stories are magnificent, and the memories of Bonnie that Johnny has kept in his mind are vivid and colorful. “Both are trapped to some extent by their memories; both are outcasts living within a kaleidoscopic vision of both past and present.”(Hutcheson, 214.) Past and present mix and intertwine. Bonnie’s own sister has chosen to embrace her Maori heritage despite her upbringing in an Anglo home.
As young adult novel, the 19-year-old Johnny finds himself in a situation where he decides to take responsibility and action without the aid of a competent adult. That is to say, that he chooses to take care of this woman who obviously is too ill to take care of herself. Adults in the book are secondary characters who sometimes offer advice but who are generally unable to assist him. Sophie seems to float between a teenaged version of herself and the part of her that remembers being married to Errol, a plumber and a gentleman of nature. The characterization of the people in this story is marvelous. “Even the minor characters echo the hold of memory, and the setting is dominated by a giant fake faucet that hangs on a sign overlooking the old lady’s house.”(Hutcheson, 214.)
The Other Side of Silence is a novel that explores the fine lines of identity, reality and fiction. At the onset of the book, the twelve-year-old heroine makes a distinction between “Real Life (what everyone agrees about) and True Life (what you know inside yourself).”(Decker, 37.) Hero, the main character of the book, is a girl living in a house full of geniuses gifted verbally. Ironically, Hero, always the shy, quiet child of the family, has chosen to remain silent for almost seven years. Her boisterous family includes her mother and father, an older brother and younger sister. Hero also has another older sister, who has left New Zealand to make her way in Australia. When Hero’s sister returns to the family, she has a secret and an abandoned boy named Sammy in tow. Hero loves to climb in the trees that border the old Credence place. “The day she falls from a tree and lands at the woman's feet begins a perilous journey for the young protagonist.” (Vasilakis, 210.) Miss Credence, the last of her family, a strange woman who weaves tales around Hero that mixes reality and folk tales hires the young girl to clean first the garden and then house. When Hero begins to clean the house, she discovers a secret that Miss Credence has kept for years. In the tower, where the windows have been painted white, Miss Credence has chained her daughter, Jorinda, who has been neglected and has developmental challenges.
Mahy is a storyteller who works to make her stories more “heard” than “seen” and as with Memory, the characters in this novel are drawn loosely with the idea that their voices and traits make them more complete. The reader, along with Hero, learns how Miss Credence’s life was affected by her strained relationship with her father and how she came to lock her daughter in the tower of the mansion and hide her existence from others and from herself. Mahy sought to show how the mind can blur the lines between reality and fantasy and can twist a person’s mind. Mahy uses Hero’s silence to heighten the tension, when Hero is imprisoned in the tower room with Jorinda. Hero also considers throughout how and why she chose to be silent.
This novel is a story that belongs in young adult fiction, because it involves a young girl who has to solve her problem with limited help from the adults in her life. Although her parents come to ask Miss Credence about Hero’s disappearance, it falls to Sammy, the boy Hero’s sister brought home with her, to rescue Hero. The novel addresses issues about identity that young adults face every day. Mahy’s ending is optimistic, but not totally unrealistic. Though Jorinda is freed from the tower, she is not “miraculously cured” but still faces problems that stem from the neglect she suffered there. Hero writes her tale on paper, but, never intending for anyone to read it, she burns the pages after her family reads it.
Memory and The Other Side of Silence both deal with how teenagers see themselves and how the mind plays an important part of determining who they become. Mahy’s straightforward language, with a minimum of figurative expressions, writes a story that engages the reader and still manages to make a point without becoming preachy or overbearing. Mahy believes that young adults in New Zealand should be able to read books that deal with issues that face them. So, it is not surprising that in these two books threads of intolerance and prejudice are woven into the book. The result of this are books that encourage the readers to think about complex and difficult issues, such as treatment of the elderly, mentally ill, disabled, as well as, cultural stands.
Reference List:
Hutcheson, Barbara. 1988. Review of Memory by Margaret Mahy. School Library Journal. (Jan/Feb.).
Vasilakis, Nancy. 1996. “Booklist for Older Readers.” (Review of The Other Side of Silence by Margaret Mahy.) Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 72 Issue 2. (Mar/Apr).
Decker, Charlotte. 1996. Reviews:Fiction (Review of The Other Side of Silence by Margaret Mahy.) Book Report. Vol. 14, Issue 5. (Mar/Apr).
Born: Whakatane, New Zealand, March 21, 1936
Lives: Governor’s Bay, New Zealand with husband, Robinson
Children: two daughters
Pets: Three cats, Orsino, Socks and Sabbath; and standard poodle named Baxter
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, taking walks, “fussing” with her pets
First book published: A Lion in the Meadow, 1969
Occupation: Retired from Canterbury Public Library, left to write full-time
Favorites:
Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Book: The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban, The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling and Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Food: Salad Sandwiches
Writer: Diana Wynne Jones, one of them; Always looks forward to reading books by New Zealand authors
Links:
The Maragret Mahy Pages
Available at: http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/MargaretMahy/
K6 Biographies—Maragaret Mahy
Available at: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/k6/mahy.html
Margaret Mahy (from New Zealand Books,Ltd.)
Available at: http://www.nzbooks.com/nzbooks/author.asp?author_id=margaretmahy
Mahy, Margaret
Available at: http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/mahym.html
Books For Young Adults:
Underrunners— A, E (I included this book because it has won two awards in its home country of New Zealand.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1993. Underruners. New York: Chivers. ISBN: 074511671X.
The Door in the Air— (I included this book because it is an anthology of short stories.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1991. The Door in the Air. New York: Dell Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN: 0385302525.
Alchemy— N (I chose to include this book because it is her newest book and has already won an award in New Zealand.)
Mahy, Margaret. 2004. Alchemy. New York: Simon & Schuster’s Children’s. ISBN: 0689850549.
The Catalogue of the Universe.— (Though this book has not won any awards, I chose to include it. I did so because Mahy says that, of all her characters, she thinks she identifies most strongly with Tycho.)
Mahy, Margaret. 2002. The Catalogue of the Universe. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s. ISBN: 068985353X.
The Haunting— C, E (This book has won an award in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1991. The Haunting. New York: Random House Children’s Books. ISBN: 0440404088.
The Tricksters— (This book was chosen because the premise intrigued me: three brothers(the Tricksters of the title) “invade” lives of the vacationers of Carnival’s Hide.)
Mahy, Maragaret. 1999. The Tricksters. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s. ISBN: 0689829108.
Memory— (This book was chosen for inclusion because it deals with personal responsibilities, cultural and ethnic roles.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1989. Memory. New York: Sagebrush Education Resources. Original edition, New York: Penguin, 1989. ISBN: 0613228936.
24 Hours— E, N (This book was included because it won two New Zealand awards.)
Mahy, Margaret. 2000. 24 Hours. New York: McElderberry, Margaret K. Books. ISBN: 0689838840.
The Changeover— C, E ( I chose this book not only because it has won two awards, one in the United Kingdom, and the other in New Zealand, but because it was the first book by this author that I ever read and I never forgot it.)
Mahy, Margaret. 1984. The Changover: A Supernatural Romance. 1st Am. ed. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's. ISBN: 068503032.
A= AIM Children's Book Awards- Established 1990. Awards are presented to New Zealand books in five categories, plus a "Book of the Year". Sponsored by AIM Toothpaste.)
C= Carnegie Medal- Presented annually to an outstanding book published in the United Kingdom.
E= Esther Glen Award- Given for the most distinguished contribution to New Zealand literature for children and young adults.
N= New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2003- Prior to 1997 the awards were known as the AIM Children's Book Awards.
Book Analyses:
Memory and The Other Side of Silence
In Margaret Mahy’s novel, Memory, a young man struggles with his memory of his sister’s death even as an elderly woman battles with Alzheimer’s disease’s effect on her own memory. Johnny Dart is the young man who decides to straighten out his memory by contacting the only other witness, Bonnie. Bonnie was his sister’s friend and the last time he saw her was at the funeral. After a drunken brawl that lands him in court and a fight with his father, Johnny manages, in his still drunken state, to find the home of Bonnie’s parents. They tell him to come back when he is sober and get a friend to take him to catch a cab. He does not catch the cab, but instead passes out in the cab stand. When he comes to he notices a woman, who is terribly confused and who mistakes him for someone she knows. Johnny follows her home with the idea that he is going to make sure that she is in safely for the night, but when he does follow her in, he finds it extremely hard to tear himself away from the woman. As Johnny discovers little slips of paper around her house, he realizes that Sophie has been paying “rent” to someone named Spike everyday, sometimes more than once a day, but made sure she “got a receipt.” Her memory essentially useless, Sophie has become a hazard to herself. In one filthy room, Johnny finds an iron that had burned through what ever she had been ironing, thankfully not igniting a fire that could have killed her.
Sophie’s acceptance of Johnny seems a little too easy and a tad quirky until Johnny realizes that he, for some reason reminds her of a cousin that she once loved. This memory gives Sophie a measure of safety when it comes to letting Johnny help her. The episodes that Mahy uses to demonstrate Sophie’s decline into Alzheimer’s are both funny and incredibly sad at the same time. For example, Sophie lets Johnny spend the night at her house, but she tells him that she is going to lock her door. It is also through these episodes that Mahy ties Johnny’s memories to his present. From meeting and eventually conquering the bully who tormented him as a child, to the surreptitious appearance of Bonnie, the person he has been looking to find, right next door to Sophie, Johnny’s memories are “reoriented” as one critic put it. It was the memory of the past that drove Johnny to this point. He is afraid that he pushed his sister off the cliff. He can almost remember doing just that, but he is not sure if that vague memory is something his mind has come up with to explain why he went along with Bonnie when she lied about where he was when Janine fell. Mahy uses snippets of “memories” to tie her character to his past and demonstrate how memories can both offer comfort and torment.
In helping Sophie, Johnny finds that she is helping him, by giving him a purpose which he has been lacking. He also learns a little more about the sister he lost and about himself. Dancing was always part of him, his feet even tapping a rhythm as he walked.
Mahy explores several issues including the Anglo/Maori culture clash, Alzheimer’s Disease and the poor treatment of the elderly. The images in Mahy’s stories are magnificent, and the memories of Bonnie that Johnny has kept in his mind are vivid and colorful. “Both are trapped to some extent by their memories; both are outcasts living within a kaleidoscopic vision of both past and present.”(Hutcheson, 214.) Past and present mix and intertwine. Bonnie’s own sister has chosen to embrace her Maori heritage despite her upbringing in an Anglo home.
As young adult novel, the 19-year-old Johnny finds himself in a situation where he decides to take responsibility and action without the aid of a competent adult. That is to say, that he chooses to take care of this woman who obviously is too ill to take care of herself. Adults in the book are secondary characters who sometimes offer advice but who are generally unable to assist him. Sophie seems to float between a teenaged version of herself and the part of her that remembers being married to Errol, a plumber and a gentleman of nature. The characterization of the people in this story is marvelous. “Even the minor characters echo the hold of memory, and the setting is dominated by a giant fake faucet that hangs on a sign overlooking the old lady’s house.”(Hutcheson, 214.)
The Other Side of Silence is a novel that explores the fine lines of identity, reality and fiction. At the onset of the book, the twelve-year-old heroine makes a distinction between “Real Life (what everyone agrees about) and True Life (what you know inside yourself).”(Decker, 37.) Hero, the main character of the book, is a girl living in a house full of geniuses gifted verbally. Ironically, Hero, always the shy, quiet child of the family, has chosen to remain silent for almost seven years. Her boisterous family includes her mother and father, an older brother and younger sister. Hero also has another older sister, who has left New Zealand to make her way in Australia. When Hero’s sister returns to the family, she has a secret and an abandoned boy named Sammy in tow. Hero loves to climb in the trees that border the old Credence place. “The day she falls from a tree and lands at the woman's feet begins a perilous journey for the young protagonist.” (Vasilakis, 210.) Miss Credence, the last of her family, a strange woman who weaves tales around Hero that mixes reality and folk tales hires the young girl to clean first the garden and then house. When Hero begins to clean the house, she discovers a secret that Miss Credence has kept for years. In the tower, where the windows have been painted white, Miss Credence has chained her daughter, Jorinda, who has been neglected and has developmental challenges.
Mahy is a storyteller who works to make her stories more “heard” than “seen” and as with Memory, the characters in this novel are drawn loosely with the idea that their voices and traits make them more complete. The reader, along with Hero, learns how Miss Credence’s life was affected by her strained relationship with her father and how she came to lock her daughter in the tower of the mansion and hide her existence from others and from herself. Mahy sought to show how the mind can blur the lines between reality and fantasy and can twist a person’s mind. Mahy uses Hero’s silence to heighten the tension, when Hero is imprisoned in the tower room with Jorinda. Hero also considers throughout how and why she chose to be silent.
This novel is a story that belongs in young adult fiction, because it involves a young girl who has to solve her problem with limited help from the adults in her life. Although her parents come to ask Miss Credence about Hero’s disappearance, it falls to Sammy, the boy Hero’s sister brought home with her, to rescue Hero. The novel addresses issues about identity that young adults face every day. Mahy’s ending is optimistic, but not totally unrealistic. Though Jorinda is freed from the tower, she is not “miraculously cured” but still faces problems that stem from the neglect she suffered there. Hero writes her tale on paper, but, never intending for anyone to read it, she burns the pages after her family reads it.
Memory and The Other Side of Silence both deal with how teenagers see themselves and how the mind plays an important part of determining who they become. Mahy’s straightforward language, with a minimum of figurative expressions, writes a story that engages the reader and still manages to make a point without becoming preachy or overbearing. Mahy believes that young adults in New Zealand should be able to read books that deal with issues that face them. So, it is not surprising that in these two books threads of intolerance and prejudice are woven into the book. The result of this are books that encourage the readers to think about complex and difficult issues, such as treatment of the elderly, mentally ill, disabled, as well as, cultural stands.
Reference List:
Hutcheson, Barbara. 1988. Review of Memory by Margaret Mahy. School Library Journal. (Jan/Feb.).
Vasilakis, Nancy. 1996. “Booklist for Older Readers.” (Review of The Other Side of Silence by Margaret Mahy.) Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 72 Issue 2. (Mar/Apr).
Decker, Charlotte. 1996. Reviews:Fiction (Review of The Other Side of Silence by Margaret Mahy.) Book Report. Vol. 14, Issue 5. (Mar/Apr).
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Topic 4: Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
Werlin, Nancy. 2004. Double Helix. New York: Dial Books. ISBN: 080372606.
The science fiction and mystery genres are melded into a new medical mystery subgenre in Nancy Werlin’s novel, DOUBLE HELIX. Genetic experimentation, in vitro fertilization and the complexities of bioethics form the science related core of the book. When Eli Samuels, a smart, athletic, not to mention tall, senior in high school is offered a job at Wyatt Transgenics, his father is not pleased and asks Eli to turn the job down. Partly because his father will not explain his request, Eli continues to work at the lab. On another front, Eli’s girlfriend would like to meet his parents, but Eli is reluctant to introduce her to them. Eli’s mother has Huntington ’s disease, a degenerative and terminal disease caused by too many repeats of sequences of DNA. While Eli tries to determine his father’s objection to his job, he meets Kayla, who seems very familiar to him. Eli also discovers that a connection does exist between them and that it involves his parents, Quincy Wyatt and experimental gene therapy. “Male and female features seemed to transmute, to meld into each other. My mother—Kayla—me.” (Werlin, 163-164.) Eli realizes that he is Kayla’s brother, but this knowledge also stirs a feeling of responsibility and curiosity within in him.
The novel is extremely readable and this is because the science in Werlin’s novel is not overbearing or confusing. “Werlin distills the scientific element to a manageable level.”(Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) Another focus of the book becomes the bioethics behind Eli’s and Kayla’s births. Sometimes these ethics seem absent but they are always complex. Eli says “I’m your brother.”(Werlin, 231.) From this realization, Werlin is able to show a strong sense of responsible that runs through Eli. “My responsibility. Because I am my father’s son. Because I choose, like he did, not to walk away. Because you are more than your genes. Because you are human. Because you are worth it.” (Werlin, 231-232.) In the end, Wyatt escapes justice, but Eli and Kayla are able to find more siblings who were born to different families. Eli goes off to college and meets the professor recommended to him by a coworker. “There’s a difference between using gene therapy for the treatment of existing medical conditions and using our growing, but far from perfect, knowledge of genes—or of humanity—to declare that we absolutely know who has--and who hasn’t—the right to live.” (Werlin, 245.)
One critic pointed that the “characterizations feel somewhat incomplete.”(Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) The main focus of the novel is on Eli and Kayla, the teenagers, so in my opinion, it is really the adults, Mr. Samuels and Wyatt, who are a little flat. “The plot moves at a tantalizing clip, with secrets revealed in tiny increments, an hints and clues neatly planted.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) The plot is tight and suspenseful and horrifying when it is revealed that more children, some who have Huntington’s and a couple who do not, have been born as a result of Wyatt’s experiment. “The story’s climax appeals to reason and love for humanity without resorting to easy answers.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) The book’s end will make readers stop and think about their beliefs about medicine and the imperfections that make us human.
Reference List:
2004. Review of Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. Publisher’s Weekly Vol. 251 Issue
7, (15 February), 173-174.
Werlin, Nancy. 2004. Double Helix. New York: Dial Books.
The science fiction and mystery genres are melded into a new medical mystery subgenre in Nancy Werlin’s novel, DOUBLE HELIX. Genetic experimentation, in vitro fertilization and the complexities of bioethics form the science related core of the book. When Eli Samuels, a smart, athletic, not to mention tall, senior in high school is offered a job at Wyatt Transgenics, his father is not pleased and asks Eli to turn the job down. Partly because his father will not explain his request, Eli continues to work at the lab. On another front, Eli’s girlfriend would like to meet his parents, but Eli is reluctant to introduce her to them. Eli’s mother has Huntington ’s disease, a degenerative and terminal disease caused by too many repeats of sequences of DNA. While Eli tries to determine his father’s objection to his job, he meets Kayla, who seems very familiar to him. Eli also discovers that a connection does exist between them and that it involves his parents, Quincy Wyatt and experimental gene therapy. “Male and female features seemed to transmute, to meld into each other. My mother—Kayla—me.” (Werlin, 163-164.) Eli realizes that he is Kayla’s brother, but this knowledge also stirs a feeling of responsibility and curiosity within in him.
The novel is extremely readable and this is because the science in Werlin’s novel is not overbearing or confusing. “Werlin distills the scientific element to a manageable level.”(Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) Another focus of the book becomes the bioethics behind Eli’s and Kayla’s births. Sometimes these ethics seem absent but they are always complex. Eli says “I’m your brother.”(Werlin, 231.) From this realization, Werlin is able to show a strong sense of responsible that runs through Eli. “My responsibility. Because I am my father’s son. Because I choose, like he did, not to walk away. Because you are more than your genes. Because you are human. Because you are worth it.” (Werlin, 231-232.) In the end, Wyatt escapes justice, but Eli and Kayla are able to find more siblings who were born to different families. Eli goes off to college and meets the professor recommended to him by a coworker. “There’s a difference between using gene therapy for the treatment of existing medical conditions and using our growing, but far from perfect, knowledge of genes—or of humanity—to declare that we absolutely know who has--and who hasn’t—the right to live.” (Werlin, 245.)
One critic pointed that the “characterizations feel somewhat incomplete.”(Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) The main focus of the novel is on Eli and Kayla, the teenagers, so in my opinion, it is really the adults, Mr. Samuels and Wyatt, who are a little flat. “The plot moves at a tantalizing clip, with secrets revealed in tiny increments, an hints and clues neatly planted.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) The plot is tight and suspenseful and horrifying when it is revealed that more children, some who have Huntington’s and a couple who do not, have been born as a result of Wyatt’s experiment. “The story’s climax appeals to reason and love for humanity without resorting to easy answers.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 174.) The book’s end will make readers stop and think about their beliefs about medicine and the imperfections that make us human.
Reference List:
2004. Review of Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. Publisher’s Weekly Vol. 251 Issue
7, (15 February), 173-174.
Werlin, Nancy. 2004. Double Helix. New York: Dial Books.
topic 4: Others See Us by William Sleator
Sleator, William. 1993. Others See Us. New York: Dutton Children’s Book. ISBN: 0525451048.
In William Sleator’s novel, OTHERS SEE US, Jared is anxiously waiting for the day when we will get to see his beautiful cousin, Annelise again. After a fall into a polluted swamp nearby, however, Jared begins to notice strange voices and thoughts inside his head. At first he thinks he might be going crazy, but then he realizes that he is actually hearing what the people around him are thinking. When the journal where Jared recorded his deepest feelings disappears from its secret hiding place, he realizes that someone else can read thoughts as well. Jared begins to “learns that Annelise is not the innocent, sweet girl her relatives believe her to be, but an evil, plotting young woman.” (Knoth, 75.) He also discovers that everyone has secrets that they do not want exposed and pressures that they must contend with when they return to their lives are the family reunion. Jared must figure out which of his family members he can trust, when it becomes obvious that Annelise is up to something.
Sleator uses the ability of telepathy to cut through a character’s appearance to the core that person’s nature. “I was aware now of her cunning, clicking away underneath her outward panic like a movie projector displaying a horror film,” thinks Jared as Annelise searches for her own missing journal.(Sleator, 44.) The knowledge of her true nature led Jared to another cousin, Lindie, who had a secret that if exposed could harm her reputation and future. Knowing that Annelise would not hesitate to use this secret against her, Jared and Lindie must figure out how to stop her. With their grandmother, Jared and Lindie try to protect their family and the people in the town from Annelise. They also realize that there are things that their grandmother will not tell them and probably can not explain to them anyway.
The quick pace and easy readability of OTHERS SEE US make the book a fun read for younger teens. It touches on the relationships between family members and how they change and develop over time. It also handles very deftly the idea of poetic justice. Some of the characters actions seem to be a little over the top, like Grandma’s theft and extortion of her neighbors, but Sleator ties them to the end to make that poetic justice. “Sleator ties up his story but leaves unanswered, unsettling questions about the nature of seductive power.” (Knoth, 75.) One of my favorite images from the novel, is an interesting twist on the old cliché, “what webs we weave ….” “The old knitting machines, shiny again, clashed in intricate patterns below us, producing yards and yards of delicate silvery weblike fabric.”(Sleator, 153.) The patterns are explained toward the end of the book that explains why the actions seem so inexplicable and yet tie so neatly at the end.
Reference List:
Knoth, Maeve Visser. 1994. Booklist: For Older Readers. Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 70, Issue 1 (Jan/Feb): .
Sleator, William. 1993. Others See Us. New York: Dutton Children’s Book.
In William Sleator’s novel, OTHERS SEE US, Jared is anxiously waiting for the day when we will get to see his beautiful cousin, Annelise again. After a fall into a polluted swamp nearby, however, Jared begins to notice strange voices and thoughts inside his head. At first he thinks he might be going crazy, but then he realizes that he is actually hearing what the people around him are thinking. When the journal where Jared recorded his deepest feelings disappears from its secret hiding place, he realizes that someone else can read thoughts as well. Jared begins to “learns that Annelise is not the innocent, sweet girl her relatives believe her to be, but an evil, plotting young woman.” (Knoth, 75.) He also discovers that everyone has secrets that they do not want exposed and pressures that they must contend with when they return to their lives are the family reunion. Jared must figure out which of his family members he can trust, when it becomes obvious that Annelise is up to something.
Sleator uses the ability of telepathy to cut through a character’s appearance to the core that person’s nature. “I was aware now of her cunning, clicking away underneath her outward panic like a movie projector displaying a horror film,” thinks Jared as Annelise searches for her own missing journal.(Sleator, 44.) The knowledge of her true nature led Jared to another cousin, Lindie, who had a secret that if exposed could harm her reputation and future. Knowing that Annelise would not hesitate to use this secret against her, Jared and Lindie must figure out how to stop her. With their grandmother, Jared and Lindie try to protect their family and the people in the town from Annelise. They also realize that there are things that their grandmother will not tell them and probably can not explain to them anyway.
The quick pace and easy readability of OTHERS SEE US make the book a fun read for younger teens. It touches on the relationships between family members and how they change and develop over time. It also handles very deftly the idea of poetic justice. Some of the characters actions seem to be a little over the top, like Grandma’s theft and extortion of her neighbors, but Sleator ties them to the end to make that poetic justice. “Sleator ties up his story but leaves unanswered, unsettling questions about the nature of seductive power.” (Knoth, 75.) One of my favorite images from the novel, is an interesting twist on the old cliché, “what webs we weave ….” “The old knitting machines, shiny again, clashed in intricate patterns below us, producing yards and yards of delicate silvery weblike fabric.”(Sleator, 153.) The patterns are explained toward the end of the book that explains why the actions seem so inexplicable and yet tie so neatly at the end.
Reference List:
Knoth, Maeve Visser. 1994. Booklist: For Older Readers. Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 70, Issue 1 (Jan/Feb): .
Sleator, William. 1993. Others See Us. New York: Dutton Children’s Book.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Topic 3: The Maze by Will Hobbs
Hobbs, Will. 1998. The Maze. New York: Avon Books, Inc. ISBN: 038072913x.
Will Hobbs’ novel THE MAZE takes a young man into an isolated area of the desert to discover “who he is.” When fourteen year old Rick Walker escapes from Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center, he hides in the back of a pick up truck that takes him deep into the Utah desert. In a remote area of canyon known as “THE MAZE,” Rick finds Lon Peregrino, a mysterious scientist studying California Condors. In the bird biologist, Rick finds a kindred spirit, but trouble soon finds both. When two strangers wander through Lon’s camp, it becomes evident that both the birds and the scientist are in danger. Between studying the condors and learning to fly Lon’s hang glider, Rick has to find a way to stay hidden from anyone looking for him and to keep the endangered condors safe.
Will Hobbs uses impressive settings, detailed research and fast paced sentence structure to heighten the emotion and drama of his novel, THE MAZE. The “labyrinthine series of canyons and spores in Utah’s Canyonlands U.S. National Park calls to mind the maze that imprisoned the mythical Daedalus and his son Icarus—characters that Rick has read about while at Blue Canyon.” (Taxel, 82.) In the book, Lon offers the idea that Daedalus actually built “two devices, very much like modern hang gliders.” (Hobbs, 139.) Lon’s theory is that Icarus actually fell out of the sky after flying into and up a thermal. The reason that this detail sticks with the reader is that the condors use the thermals to carry them far from their canyon home. “Hobbs also effectively develops parallels between Rick’s Efforts to master the intricacies of hang-gliding and the struggles of the young condors to fly.” (Taxel, 82.) The chapters are relatively short and easy to read, which helps keep the pace of the story quick and invigorating.
Hobbs also uses names to advance the characterization of the main characters. For example, condors are usually called by numbers, but one of the condors seems to stick out more than just a little. M4 is a male condor who from the time he hatched was just a little of a “maverick.” Deemed unpredictable, Rick suggested that he be called “Maverick” (Hobbs, 64.) Lon stays that to give birds human names is to assign human traits to a wild animal. It is interesting that Rick is a bit of a maverick as well. Lon Peregrino is another example of a name that holds a clue to the characterization of an important person in the story. When Rick finds a picture of Lon as a young man, but the young man’s name is not what he was given. Lon, it turns out, chose his own name after becoming a bird biologist. He chose to name himself after a peregrine falcon. Peregrine means “traveler.”(Hobbs, 146.) Lon is a hang glider who travels over the land using the same thermals that his feathered subjects do, which can carry him for miles over the landscape.
Reference List:
Hobbs, Will. 1998. The Maze. New York: Avon Books, Inc.
Taxel, Joel. 2002. Review of The Maze. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Vol. 46, issue 1 (Sept): 82.
Will Hobbs’ novel THE MAZE takes a young man into an isolated area of the desert to discover “who he is.” When fourteen year old Rick Walker escapes from Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center, he hides in the back of a pick up truck that takes him deep into the Utah desert. In a remote area of canyon known as “THE MAZE,” Rick finds Lon Peregrino, a mysterious scientist studying California Condors. In the bird biologist, Rick finds a kindred spirit, but trouble soon finds both. When two strangers wander through Lon’s camp, it becomes evident that both the birds and the scientist are in danger. Between studying the condors and learning to fly Lon’s hang glider, Rick has to find a way to stay hidden from anyone looking for him and to keep the endangered condors safe.
Will Hobbs uses impressive settings, detailed research and fast paced sentence structure to heighten the emotion and drama of his novel, THE MAZE. The “labyrinthine series of canyons and spores in Utah’s Canyonlands U.S. National Park calls to mind the maze that imprisoned the mythical Daedalus and his son Icarus—characters that Rick has read about while at Blue Canyon.” (Taxel, 82.) In the book, Lon offers the idea that Daedalus actually built “two devices, very much like modern hang gliders.” (Hobbs, 139.) Lon’s theory is that Icarus actually fell out of the sky after flying into and up a thermal. The reason that this detail sticks with the reader is that the condors use the thermals to carry them far from their canyon home. “Hobbs also effectively develops parallels between Rick’s Efforts to master the intricacies of hang-gliding and the struggles of the young condors to fly.” (Taxel, 82.) The chapters are relatively short and easy to read, which helps keep the pace of the story quick and invigorating.
Hobbs also uses names to advance the characterization of the main characters. For example, condors are usually called by numbers, but one of the condors seems to stick out more than just a little. M4 is a male condor who from the time he hatched was just a little of a “maverick.” Deemed unpredictable, Rick suggested that he be called “Maverick” (Hobbs, 64.) Lon stays that to give birds human names is to assign human traits to a wild animal. It is interesting that Rick is a bit of a maverick as well. Lon Peregrino is another example of a name that holds a clue to the characterization of an important person in the story. When Rick finds a picture of Lon as a young man, but the young man’s name is not what he was given. Lon, it turns out, chose his own name after becoming a bird biologist. He chose to name himself after a peregrine falcon. Peregrine means “traveler.”(Hobbs, 146.) Lon is a hang glider who travels over the land using the same thermals that his feathered subjects do, which can carry him for miles over the landscape.
Reference List:
Hobbs, Will. 1998. The Maze. New York: Avon Books, Inc.
Taxel, Joel. 2002. Review of The Maze. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Vol. 46, issue 1 (Sept): 82.
Topic 3: The Seance By Joan Lowery Nixon
Nixon, Joan Lowery. 1980. The Séance. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. Original edition, Harcourt, Inc. ISBN: 0152050299.
When a teenage girl disappears from a séance held in another student’s home and later turns up dead, a small East Texas town is stunned. When the student who conducted the séance later turns up murdered it becomes obvious that someone is targeting the entire group of girls who attended. In Joan Lowery Nixon’s THE SÉANCE, one teenage girl must ferret out the murderer before she becomes the next victim. As an orphan Lauren lived with her Aunt Mel in a quiet town on the edge of the Big Thicket. When juvenile delinquent Sara comes to live with them, Lauren takes an instant dislike to her. Sara was pretty and “wore her sweaters and blouses a size too small” (Lowery, 3.). She also snuck out of the house in the middle of the night to meet with boys. Lauren wants to refuse when Sara invites her to attend the séance being held by Roberta, a new girl in school, but when the other girls get together, they convince Lauren to come. From the beginning of the séance, the spooky feelings scare the girls, but it isn’t when the lights go out that the scary part begins. Though the doors and windows are locked from the inside, Sara disappears in the darkness.
Nixon’s writing uses a quick pace that pulls the reader along in a current of images, sounds and emotions. The first person narration by Lauren allows the reader to connect with her. THE SÉANCE is “carefully plotted with fair clues for the readers, but hints that don’t really prepare one for the smash finish.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 78.) Over and over the sheriff questions the girls at the séance and they each deny locking the door behind Sara, so at the end of the book, it is somewhat annoying that the person that connected with you was lying about her role. The hints and clues that are sprinkled throughout the story can cast blame on a lot of people in town, much to amateur detective Lauren’s frustration. Nixon’s expert writing ratchets up the suspense as Lauren becomes more and more paranoid about the members of the small town she lives in.
THE SÉANCE also looks at the relationship between family members, friends and community members. Living with her “forthright, caring, but undemonstrative Aunt Mel,” Lauren was “content with her lot.”(Publisher’s Weekly, 78.) “I didn’t even know that I wanted to be held and loved and caressed until Sara came and drew those feelings from the air and them out in front of me…” thinks Lauren. (Nixon, 47.) Having wished Sara would just disappear, Lauren feels guilty when she turns up murdered. Nixon expertly hits on the confusing mix of emotions that teenage girls often feel as they are growing up and interacting with other girls and the boys they sometimes fight over.
Reference List:
Nixon, Joan Lowery. 1980. The Séance. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. Original edition, Harcourt, Inc.
______. 1980. Review of The Séance by Joan Lowery Nixon. Publisher’s Weekly (April 11):78.
When a teenage girl disappears from a séance held in another student’s home and later turns up dead, a small East Texas town is stunned. When the student who conducted the séance later turns up murdered it becomes obvious that someone is targeting the entire group of girls who attended. In Joan Lowery Nixon’s THE SÉANCE, one teenage girl must ferret out the murderer before she becomes the next victim. As an orphan Lauren lived with her Aunt Mel in a quiet town on the edge of the Big Thicket. When juvenile delinquent Sara comes to live with them, Lauren takes an instant dislike to her. Sara was pretty and “wore her sweaters and blouses a size too small” (Lowery, 3.). She also snuck out of the house in the middle of the night to meet with boys. Lauren wants to refuse when Sara invites her to attend the séance being held by Roberta, a new girl in school, but when the other girls get together, they convince Lauren to come. From the beginning of the séance, the spooky feelings scare the girls, but it isn’t when the lights go out that the scary part begins. Though the doors and windows are locked from the inside, Sara disappears in the darkness.
Nixon’s writing uses a quick pace that pulls the reader along in a current of images, sounds and emotions. The first person narration by Lauren allows the reader to connect with her. THE SÉANCE is “carefully plotted with fair clues for the readers, but hints that don’t really prepare one for the smash finish.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 78.) Over and over the sheriff questions the girls at the séance and they each deny locking the door behind Sara, so at the end of the book, it is somewhat annoying that the person that connected with you was lying about her role. The hints and clues that are sprinkled throughout the story can cast blame on a lot of people in town, much to amateur detective Lauren’s frustration. Nixon’s expert writing ratchets up the suspense as Lauren becomes more and more paranoid about the members of the small town she lives in.
THE SÉANCE also looks at the relationship between family members, friends and community members. Living with her “forthright, caring, but undemonstrative Aunt Mel,” Lauren was “content with her lot.”(Publisher’s Weekly, 78.) “I didn’t even know that I wanted to be held and loved and caressed until Sara came and drew those feelings from the air and them out in front of me…” thinks Lauren. (Nixon, 47.) Having wished Sara would just disappear, Lauren feels guilty when she turns up murdered. Nixon expertly hits on the confusing mix of emotions that teenage girls often feel as they are growing up and interacting with other girls and the boys they sometimes fight over.
Reference List:
Nixon, Joan Lowery. 1980. The Séance. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. Original edition, Harcourt, Inc.
______. 1980. Review of The Séance by Joan Lowery Nixon. Publisher’s Weekly (April 11):78.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Topic 3: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. ISBN: 0688115527.
Chris Crutcher’s STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES is a story about friendship, secrets, revenge and ultimate betrayals. Eric “Moby” Calhoune is worried about his friend Sarah Byrnes who has slipped into a catatonic-like state, refusing to respond to anyone. He sets out to pull her through this, whatever might have caused her to cut herself off from her friends. With the help of a teammate and a former enemy, Moby begins to piece together the enigma of Sarah Byrnes, “terminal ugly” and all out tough girl. Moby also faces a more personal challenge in the form of Jody Mueller, a girl he has liked for years, but also the girlfriend of his swim teammate and rival, Mark Bishop. Secrets and lies unfurl in this story to end with betrayals and hard lessons of personal accountability.
Though Crutcher’s story is told through the eyes of a teenage boy, the adults in the story are in no way bystanders. The actions that are taken by the teens are influenced in major ways by the adults they come into contact with. It is because of her father that Sarah Byrnes is in the psychiatric ward. “I started having dreams about the stove. He my face against it, Eric…I got the same feeling I had that day he burned me, and I decided if I had the feeling it was probably right.” (Crutcher, 145.) Moby’s Contemporary American Thought teacher, Mrs. Lemry, lays her life and career on the line to take Sarah Byrnes in after the girl runs from the hospital and helps her track down her mother. Moby’s stepfather steps up in an unexpected way at the conclusion of the book to keep the teenagers safe from Mr. Byrnes.
Crutcher’s story, told straight forward, pulls the reader farther in until there is no putting the book down until the puzzle is complete. Moments of hilarity are mixed with sadness and sometimes horror at the actions of characters. Crutcher’s “strong themes of friendship and tolerance are intertwined in a skillfully developed plot replete with realistic, complex characters.” (Makowski, 39). The wit of the main characters and the sheer toughness of Sarah Byrnes encourage the reader to root for the underdog. “The self-deprecating humor of Moby's narrative and the high drama of the classroom scenes (some of the best of the book) keep the reader involved in the compelling issues that drive the plot to its conclusion.” (Makowski, 39). The end of the story is touching, optimistic and, yes, a touch predictable. But as Moby says, “Part of me wishes life were more predictable and part of me is excited that it’s not.” (Crutcher, 295.)
Reference List:
Makowski, Marilyn. Review of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Book Report Vol. 12 Issue 1 (May/Jun 1993), 39.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. 145.
Crutcher, 295.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. ISBN: 0688115527.
Chris Crutcher’s STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES is a story about friendship, secrets, revenge and ultimate betrayals. Eric “Moby” Calhoune is worried about his friend Sarah Byrnes who has slipped into a catatonic-like state, refusing to respond to anyone. He sets out to pull her through this, whatever might have caused her to cut herself off from her friends. With the help of a teammate and a former enemy, Moby begins to piece together the enigma of Sarah Byrnes, “terminal ugly” and all out tough girl. Moby also faces a more personal challenge in the form of Jody Mueller, a girl he has liked for years, but also the girlfriend of his swim teammate and rival, Mark Bishop. Secrets and lies unfurl in this story to end with betrayals and hard lessons of personal accountability.
Though Crutcher’s story is told through the eyes of a teenage boy, the adults in the story are in no way bystanders. The actions that are taken by the teens are influenced in major ways by the adults they come into contact with. It is because of her father that Sarah Byrnes is in the psychiatric ward. “I started having dreams about the stove. He my face against it, Eric…I got the same feeling I had that day he burned me, and I decided if I had the feeling it was probably right.” (Crutcher, 145.) Moby’s Contemporary American Thought teacher, Mrs. Lemry, lays her life and career on the line to take Sarah Byrnes in after the girl runs from the hospital and helps her track down her mother. Moby’s stepfather steps up in an unexpected way at the conclusion of the book to keep the teenagers safe from Mr. Byrnes.
Crutcher’s story, told straight forward, pulls the reader farther in until there is no putting the book down until the puzzle is complete. Moments of hilarity are mixed with sadness and sometimes horror at the actions of characters. Crutcher’s “strong themes of friendship and tolerance are intertwined in a skillfully developed plot replete with realistic, complex characters.” (Makowski, 39). The wit of the main characters and the sheer toughness of Sarah Byrnes encourage the reader to root for the underdog. “The self-deprecating humor of Moby's narrative and the high drama of the classroom scenes (some of the best of the book) keep the reader involved in the compelling issues that drive the plot to its conclusion.” (Makowski, 39). The end of the story is touching, optimistic and, yes, a touch predictable. But as Moby says, “Part of me wishes life were more predictable and part of me is excited that it’s not.” (Crutcher, 295.)
Reference List:
Makowski, Marilyn. Review of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Book Report Vol. 12 Issue 1 (May/Jun 1993), 39.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. 145.
Crutcher, 295.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Topic 2 Whistle Me Home by Barbara Wersba
Wersba, Barbara. 1997. Whistle Me Home. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN: 0805048502.
In Barbara Wersba’s WHISTLE ME HOME, sexual identity plays an important role in the relationship between Noli, a 17-year-old tomboy, and TJ, a handsome new student in her English class. Told in a long flashback, Wersba’s story chronicles a complicated relationship and how it comes to a traumatic end. The insecure Noli is flattered when the much sought after TJ asks her out. TJ encourages Noli to dress rather boyishly even when she would rather wear a dress. As the pair spend more and more time together, Noli realizes that she is falling in love with TJ, and though she thinks that he is falling in love with her, she is not quite sure how he feels. Over the course of the school year, Noli’s drinking problem becomes more and more evident, as does her suspicion that something is not quite what it seems with TJ. When finally, TJ admits that he is gay, Noli lashes out at him with a fury she has not exhibited before.
Full of complicated relationships and a thin haze of alcohol, the novel is honest and sincere. Both Noli and TJ are cut off from their parents. Noli drinks to cover her separateness and is actually half-drunk through the novel. It is obvious that TJ is using Noli to beard his homosexuality from his parents. Noli’s relationship with her girlfriends falls away as she entangles in TJ. Without any overt symbolism, Wersba shows how a person’s real emotions are hidden behind the way they portray themselves to others. TJ tells Noli that he loves her, and in his way, he does, but he never actually shows Noli who he really is and leading to that explosive scene. Noli hides insecurity by wearing what TJ wants her to wear. Wersba says this about Noli’s relationship with her parents, “But she and her parents are estranged. This estrangement comes from many things, but mostly it comes from the fact that the three of them never communicate.” (Wersba, 24.)
The novel is written in the present tense which adds a strange urgency to the story. The novel is written in such a way that the reader can see the train wreck as it is coming. According to Ilene Cooper of Booklist, the book only has a few problems. One of these is the “perfectly perfect” TJ, though Cooper softens her complaint with the rationalization that his perfect-ness is simply as a picture of “how he’s reflected in Noli’s eyes.”(Cooper, 1331.) The other glaring problem is one that I noticed as well. Noli has a recurring dream where she is lost in the city. This dream is brought up several times, but Noli never really addresses or considers it for long. Cooper called it “more irritating than illuminating.” (Cooper, 1331.) The final time that the dream is mentioned Noli says, “I need to go home” and the dream changes so that she can finally go home. (Wersba, 107.) Tying it up so neatly without allowing Noli to explain what she thinks about it makes one wonder why she didn’t say that the first time.
Reference List:
Cooper, Ilene. 1997. Review of Whistle Me Home by Barabra Wersba. Booklist (April 1):1331.
Wersba, Barbara. 1997. Whistle Me Home. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
In Barbara Wersba’s WHISTLE ME HOME, sexual identity plays an important role in the relationship between Noli, a 17-year-old tomboy, and TJ, a handsome new student in her English class. Told in a long flashback, Wersba’s story chronicles a complicated relationship and how it comes to a traumatic end. The insecure Noli is flattered when the much sought after TJ asks her out. TJ encourages Noli to dress rather boyishly even when she would rather wear a dress. As the pair spend more and more time together, Noli realizes that she is falling in love with TJ, and though she thinks that he is falling in love with her, she is not quite sure how he feels. Over the course of the school year, Noli’s drinking problem becomes more and more evident, as does her suspicion that something is not quite what it seems with TJ. When finally, TJ admits that he is gay, Noli lashes out at him with a fury she has not exhibited before.
Full of complicated relationships and a thin haze of alcohol, the novel is honest and sincere. Both Noli and TJ are cut off from their parents. Noli drinks to cover her separateness and is actually half-drunk through the novel. It is obvious that TJ is using Noli to beard his homosexuality from his parents. Noli’s relationship with her girlfriends falls away as she entangles in TJ. Without any overt symbolism, Wersba shows how a person’s real emotions are hidden behind the way they portray themselves to others. TJ tells Noli that he loves her, and in his way, he does, but he never actually shows Noli who he really is and leading to that explosive scene. Noli hides insecurity by wearing what TJ wants her to wear. Wersba says this about Noli’s relationship with her parents, “But she and her parents are estranged. This estrangement comes from many things, but mostly it comes from the fact that the three of them never communicate.” (Wersba, 24.)
The novel is written in the present tense which adds a strange urgency to the story. The novel is written in such a way that the reader can see the train wreck as it is coming. According to Ilene Cooper of Booklist, the book only has a few problems. One of these is the “perfectly perfect” TJ, though Cooper softens her complaint with the rationalization that his perfect-ness is simply as a picture of “how he’s reflected in Noli’s eyes.”(Cooper, 1331.) The other glaring problem is one that I noticed as well. Noli has a recurring dream where she is lost in the city. This dream is brought up several times, but Noli never really addresses or considers it for long. Cooper called it “more irritating than illuminating.” (Cooper, 1331.) The final time that the dream is mentioned Noli says, “I need to go home” and the dream changes so that she can finally go home. (Wersba, 107.) Tying it up so neatly without allowing Noli to explain what she thinks about it makes one wonder why she didn’t say that the first time.
Reference List:
Cooper, Ilene. 1997. Review of Whistle Me Home by Barabra Wersba. Booklist (April 1):1331.
Wersba, Barbara. 1997. Whistle Me Home. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Topic 2: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Rennison, Louise. 1999. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicholson. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 0060288140.
Louise Rennison’s ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING is a hilarious version of a typical teenage girl’s diary. The entries in Georgia Nicholson’s diary provide sometimes humorous insights into the girl’s life. Full of British-isms that the main character, Georgia Nicholson explains in her witty teenage way in an appendix at the rear of the book. Her best friend falls for the son of the local grocer, and Georgia falls hard for his brother, Robbie, the “Sex God.” Between trailing her crush’s girlfriend and dealing with her baby sister’s nasty habit of peeing in Georgia’s bed, the teenager has to explore parents’ relationship, her best friend’s rocky romance and her own self-esteem. The thing about Rennison’s book is the fact that though Georgia is British, her life experiences are so seemingly universal. “In typical teen manner, Georgia lives in her own world; she thinks she is ugly, is convinced that her parents are weird, positively abhors schoolwork, and has a deep desire to be beautiful and older.” (Reynolds, .)
Issues that parents would consider to be pretty serious, like bullying and shoplifting are dealt with in an easy, amusing way that does not result in a lecture. Georgia’s parents are seemingly out of touch with their older daughter who winds up shaving her eyebrows off just weeks before school begins. Written diary style, Georgia’s entries vary by minutes in some cases which help Rennison ratchet up the hilarity in many instances. Rennison’s book is a young adult companion to Helen Fielding’s adult novel, Bridget Jones’ Diary, which introduced the American public to a strong, truly strange, yet charming British lass. Rennison’s book is written in such an easy style that is possible to read the book in a day or hours. Adults who liked Bridget will most likely enjoy Georgia and students who have read about Georgia will likely enjoy Bridget.
Reference List:
Reynolds, Angela J. 2000. Review of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicholson by Louise Rennison. School Library Journal. Vol. 46, Issue 7, (Jul).
Louise Rennison’s ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING is a hilarious version of a typical teenage girl’s diary. The entries in Georgia Nicholson’s diary provide sometimes humorous insights into the girl’s life. Full of British-isms that the main character, Georgia Nicholson explains in her witty teenage way in an appendix at the rear of the book. Her best friend falls for the son of the local grocer, and Georgia falls hard for his brother, Robbie, the “Sex God.” Between trailing her crush’s girlfriend and dealing with her baby sister’s nasty habit of peeing in Georgia’s bed, the teenager has to explore parents’ relationship, her best friend’s rocky romance and her own self-esteem. The thing about Rennison’s book is the fact that though Georgia is British, her life experiences are so seemingly universal. “In typical teen manner, Georgia lives in her own world; she thinks she is ugly, is convinced that her parents are weird, positively abhors schoolwork, and has a deep desire to be beautiful and older.” (Reynolds, .)
Issues that parents would consider to be pretty serious, like bullying and shoplifting are dealt with in an easy, amusing way that does not result in a lecture. Georgia’s parents are seemingly out of touch with their older daughter who winds up shaving her eyebrows off just weeks before school begins. Written diary style, Georgia’s entries vary by minutes in some cases which help Rennison ratchet up the hilarity in many instances. Rennison’s book is a young adult companion to Helen Fielding’s adult novel, Bridget Jones’ Diary, which introduced the American public to a strong, truly strange, yet charming British lass. Rennison’s book is written in such an easy style that is possible to read the book in a day or hours. Adults who liked Bridget will most likely enjoy Georgia and students who have read about Georgia will likely enjoy Bridget.
Reference List:
Reynolds, Angela J. 2000. Review of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicholson by Louise Rennison. School Library Journal. Vol. 46, Issue 7, (Jul).
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Topic 2: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1999. ISBN: 0374371520.
SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson is a delightfully frank book that hits on several issues that teenagers may have to face. Something horrible happened to Melinda Sordino at a high school party the summer before her freshman year. Her friends refuse to speak to her because she called the police. She enters high school in a pelting of jabs and isolating silence. Trying to stay silent has cut Melinda off from her friends and is cutting her off from her parents, and sometimes even from herself. The poignancy of the story stems from the fact that she has to decide whether to speak up or remain silent perhaps at the cost of her sanity.
Though the title holds the sound of a command, silence is what meets most of the adults in the story. With the exception of her art teacher and a few chosen students, Melinda remains locked in silence. “Her silence, while extreme, is emblematic of the silence that often afflicts girls--particularly middle class girls--as they enter adolescence and the comparatively impersonal, competitive atmosphere of secondary school.” (Smith, 585). Melinda’s art project involves a tree and her efforts to perfect her drawings and sculpture seems almost a symbolic effort she is making to perfect herself by erasing the past things that have happened.
Anderson’s SPEAK has Melinda navigating her way through a choppy sea of uncaring teachers, down-right mean students, competitive sports, and a possible blooming of romance. The matter-of-factness about the story-telling allows the reader to relate to a young woman in deep pain without passing judgment on her. The sometimes choppy dialogue and caustic wit of the main character drive the story forward, sounding altogether genuine. “Melinda's acerbic commentary on school, the behavior of her former friends, and family dynamics, is used to confirm the young teenager's mastery of a lucid and critical discourse… that helps her maintain her sanity in the face of overwhelming pressures.” (Smith, 587).
References:
Smith, Sally. Review of Speak. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Vol. 43, Issue 6
(March 2000), 585-588.
SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson is a delightfully frank book that hits on several issues that teenagers may have to face. Something horrible happened to Melinda Sordino at a high school party the summer before her freshman year. Her friends refuse to speak to her because she called the police. She enters high school in a pelting of jabs and isolating silence. Trying to stay silent has cut Melinda off from her friends and is cutting her off from her parents, and sometimes even from herself. The poignancy of the story stems from the fact that she has to decide whether to speak up or remain silent perhaps at the cost of her sanity.
Though the title holds the sound of a command, silence is what meets most of the adults in the story. With the exception of her art teacher and a few chosen students, Melinda remains locked in silence. “Her silence, while extreme, is emblematic of the silence that often afflicts girls--particularly middle class girls--as they enter adolescence and the comparatively impersonal, competitive atmosphere of secondary school.” (Smith, 585). Melinda’s art project involves a tree and her efforts to perfect her drawings and sculpture seems almost a symbolic effort she is making to perfect herself by erasing the past things that have happened.
Anderson’s SPEAK has Melinda navigating her way through a choppy sea of uncaring teachers, down-right mean students, competitive sports, and a possible blooming of romance. The matter-of-factness about the story-telling allows the reader to relate to a young woman in deep pain without passing judgment on her. The sometimes choppy dialogue and caustic wit of the main character drive the story forward, sounding altogether genuine. “Melinda's acerbic commentary on school, the behavior of her former friends, and family dynamics, is used to confirm the young teenager's mastery of a lucid and critical discourse… that helps her maintain her sanity in the face of overwhelming pressures.” (Smith, 587).
References:
Smith, Sally. Review of Speak. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Vol. 43, Issue 6
(March 2000), 585-588.
Topic 2: The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier
Cormier, Robert. 2001. The Rag and Bone Shop. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN: 0385729262.
Robert Cormier’s last book, published post-humously, THE RAG AND BONE SHOP explores the fine line between truth and lie. When a seven-year-old girl is murdered and the only suspect the police have in custody will not confess, the police bring in a special interrogator. The interrogator is a man with a reputation of getting the confession out the most difficult suspects. The conversation that ensues between Trent, the interrogator and Jason, the twelve-year-old suspect is ominous and disturbing because the reader is almost certain that the boy is innocent, but not quite totally convinced. The jaded interrogator manages finally to get his confession but a horrible revelation at the end of the interrogation completely upturns his world. The end of the story is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the story. At the conclusion of the story, the young boy questions not only his integrity, but whether simply thinking he could have done that means that he could now.
Cormier was a master story spinner and this story is no different. The writing is tight and concise and draws the reader in with imagery and sound. “The interview between Trent and Jason evolves into a taut, sinister mind game as the interrogation expert twists the boy's thoughts and manipulates his words.” (Roback, .) Cormier’s dialogue between the interrogator and the suspect is bare bones and compelling. The reader is pushed along, willing Jason to resist Trent and to ask for his parents or a lawyer. Soon the reader is as caught up in the interrogation as the boy, questioning themselves and reality. The final scene is the most terrible and heartbreaking scene of the story. “The cat-and-mouse game between experience and innocence is far more compellingly played out in I Am the Cheese and After the First Death.” (Sutton, 743.) Cormier has a knack of writing about choices that people, both young and old, had to make, and then exploring the results of those decisions. His work often makes the reader question how they would react to a similar situation.
Reference List:
Roback, Dianne, Jennifer M.Brown, Jason Britton, and Jeff Zaleski. 2001. Review of The Rag and Bone Shop, by Robert Cormier. Publisher’s Weekly vol. 248, issue 42 (15 October).
Sutton, Roger. 2001. Review of The Rag and Bone Shop, by Robert Cormier. Horn Book Magazine vol. 77, issue 6 (Nov/Dec): 743.
Robert Cormier’s last book, published post-humously, THE RAG AND BONE SHOP explores the fine line between truth and lie. When a seven-year-old girl is murdered and the only suspect the police have in custody will not confess, the police bring in a special interrogator. The interrogator is a man with a reputation of getting the confession out the most difficult suspects. The conversation that ensues between Trent, the interrogator and Jason, the twelve-year-old suspect is ominous and disturbing because the reader is almost certain that the boy is innocent, but not quite totally convinced. The jaded interrogator manages finally to get his confession but a horrible revelation at the end of the interrogation completely upturns his world. The end of the story is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the story. At the conclusion of the story, the young boy questions not only his integrity, but whether simply thinking he could have done that means that he could now.
Cormier was a master story spinner and this story is no different. The writing is tight and concise and draws the reader in with imagery and sound. “The interview between Trent and Jason evolves into a taut, sinister mind game as the interrogation expert twists the boy's thoughts and manipulates his words.” (Roback, .) Cormier’s dialogue between the interrogator and the suspect is bare bones and compelling. The reader is pushed along, willing Jason to resist Trent and to ask for his parents or a lawyer. Soon the reader is as caught up in the interrogation as the boy, questioning themselves and reality. The final scene is the most terrible and heartbreaking scene of the story. “The cat-and-mouse game between experience and innocence is far more compellingly played out in I Am the Cheese and After the First Death.” (Sutton, 743.) Cormier has a knack of writing about choices that people, both young and old, had to make, and then exploring the results of those decisions. His work often makes the reader question how they would react to a similar situation.
Reference List:
Roback, Dianne, Jennifer M.Brown, Jason Britton, and Jeff Zaleski. 2001. Review of The Rag and Bone Shop, by Robert Cormier. Publisher’s Weekly vol. 248, issue 42 (15 October).
Sutton, Roger. 2001. Review of The Rag and Bone Shop, by Robert Cormier. Horn Book Magazine vol. 77, issue 6 (Nov/Dec): 743.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Topic 1: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
The Outsiders
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Puffin Books, 1997. ISBN: 014038572x.
When S. E. Hinton wrote THE OUTSIDERS, she created a cast of characters so realistically complex, the reader roots for “hoodlums.” The life that her main characters, Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade, have lived has not been ideal. Ponyboy lives with his brothers, Darryl and Soda Pop, one a former jock and the other a gas station attendant. Johnny’s parents are always fighting and neither ever notice that he slips out of his house. The bright spot in the boys’ lives are the guys they hang out with: Steve Randle, Two-Bit Mathews, the Curtis Brothers and Dallas Winston. Where Ponyboy’s friends are poor, the rival gang known as the Socs, are rich boys in fancy cars. When Pony and Johnny meet Cherry Valance, the girlfriend of the leader of the Socs’, the tensions between the two factions begins to boil. Hinton’s story takes a dramatic turn with a vivid, heart-pounding scene where things go too far, so far that it ends in murder. “The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.” (Amazon.com) But the story for Ponyboy and Johnny does not end there. While in hiding, Johnny and Ponyboy teach each other about life, growing up and the contradictions in oneself.
Hinton’s story looks at friendship, change, loyalty and the meaning of true heroism. Though the story was written over thirty years ago, the compelling relationships between Ponyboy and those around him still draw readers in. The language Hinton used to create these connections was authentic and honest. The effect is a naïve, yet surprisingly jaded main character/narrator. A mix of loss and hope, the story juxtaposes the hope of Ponyboy with the hopelessness of Dally Winston. Ponyboy’s hope lies in the story that he has written and shares first with his “English teacher.” (Hinton, 180.) Dally, on the other hand, loses his hope at the moment Johnny dies, and he falls prey to his despair.
Ultimately Hinton shows that though the main characters are “hoodlums,” they are not without goodness or deep felt emotions. This book is considered a “classic” (Amazon.com) and still offers readers an opportunity to put themselves in the place of young men and women that they might not have had a chance to meet in their lives.
Reference list:
Amazon.com. 2004. “Review of The Outsiders.”Available at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/014038572X/103-7648602-2759857. Last Accessed 12 September 2004.
Hinton, S. E. 1967, 1995. The Outsiders. New York:Viking Books; Penguin Books, 1997.
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Puffin Books, 1997. ISBN: 014038572x.
When S. E. Hinton wrote THE OUTSIDERS, she created a cast of characters so realistically complex, the reader roots for “hoodlums.” The life that her main characters, Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade, have lived has not been ideal. Ponyboy lives with his brothers, Darryl and Soda Pop, one a former jock and the other a gas station attendant. Johnny’s parents are always fighting and neither ever notice that he slips out of his house. The bright spot in the boys’ lives are the guys they hang out with: Steve Randle, Two-Bit Mathews, the Curtis Brothers and Dallas Winston. Where Ponyboy’s friends are poor, the rival gang known as the Socs, are rich boys in fancy cars. When Pony and Johnny meet Cherry Valance, the girlfriend of the leader of the Socs’, the tensions between the two factions begins to boil. Hinton’s story takes a dramatic turn with a vivid, heart-pounding scene where things go too far, so far that it ends in murder. “The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.” (Amazon.com) But the story for Ponyboy and Johnny does not end there. While in hiding, Johnny and Ponyboy teach each other about life, growing up and the contradictions in oneself.
Hinton’s story looks at friendship, change, loyalty and the meaning of true heroism. Though the story was written over thirty years ago, the compelling relationships between Ponyboy and those around him still draw readers in. The language Hinton used to create these connections was authentic and honest. The effect is a naïve, yet surprisingly jaded main character/narrator. A mix of loss and hope, the story juxtaposes the hope of Ponyboy with the hopelessness of Dally Winston. Ponyboy’s hope lies in the story that he has written and shares first with his “English teacher.” (Hinton, 180.) Dally, on the other hand, loses his hope at the moment Johnny dies, and he falls prey to his despair.
Ultimately Hinton shows that though the main characters are “hoodlums,” they are not without goodness or deep felt emotions. This book is considered a “classic” (Amazon.com) and still offers readers an opportunity to put themselves in the place of young men and women that they might not have had a chance to meet in their lives.
Reference list:
Amazon.com. 2004. “Review of The Outsiders.”Available at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/014038572X/103-7648602-2759857. Last Accessed 12 September 2004.
Hinton, S. E. 1967, 1995. The Outsiders. New York:Viking Books; Penguin Books, 1997.
Monday, September 06, 2004
Topic 1: A Step From Heaven By An Na
A Step From Heaven
Na, An. A Step From Heaven. Asheville, North Carolina: Front Street, 2001. ISBN: 1886910588.
A STEP FROM HEAVEN by An Na, is a story of dashed dreams and redeeming hope. The main character is only four years old when the story begins, and ages fourteen years. Young Ju Park is girl of dreams when she moved to Mi Gook with her Uhmma and Apa. Once in America (Mi Gook) Young’s mother gives birth to Joon Ho, her brother. As Young grows she contends with the traditional roles from Korea as they collide with her new American dream. Though she wants desperately for her father to love her, he sinks further into disillusionment and drunken despair and violence. Her mother tries to help shield the children from the beatings, but she, too, is trapped. Young learns to be strong and to never let go of her family and of hope.
A STEP FROM HEAVEN is a story that begins with the short choppy dialogue of a young child to the opinions and words of a teenager. Korean words are sprinkled into the story along with the “sounded-out” words of an immigrant. The effect of Na’s storytelling creates vignettes with the “intimacy of snapshots.”(Brabander, 2001). As Young Ju grows up, her dreams change, but she discovers that strength comes in surprising ways. “Throughout the novel, images of reaching and dreaming poignantly convey the young narrator's desire to survive her father's brutality and its devastating effect on her family.” (Brabander, 2001). An Na’s touching story earned the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.
Reference List:
Brabander, Jennifer M. Review of A Step From Heaven, by An Na. Horn Book
Magazine Vol. 77, Issue 4 (July/Aug 2001): 458.
Na, An. A Step From Heaven. Asheville, North Carolina: Front Street, 2001. ISBN: 1886910588.
A STEP FROM HEAVEN by An Na, is a story of dashed dreams and redeeming hope. The main character is only four years old when the story begins, and ages fourteen years. Young Ju Park is girl of dreams when she moved to Mi Gook with her Uhmma and Apa. Once in America (Mi Gook) Young’s mother gives birth to Joon Ho, her brother. As Young grows she contends with the traditional roles from Korea as they collide with her new American dream. Though she wants desperately for her father to love her, he sinks further into disillusionment and drunken despair and violence. Her mother tries to help shield the children from the beatings, but she, too, is trapped. Young learns to be strong and to never let go of her family and of hope.
A STEP FROM HEAVEN is a story that begins with the short choppy dialogue of a young child to the opinions and words of a teenager. Korean words are sprinkled into the story along with the “sounded-out” words of an immigrant. The effect of Na’s storytelling creates vignettes with the “intimacy of snapshots.”(Brabander, 2001). As Young Ju grows up, her dreams change, but she discovers that strength comes in surprising ways. “Throughout the novel, images of reaching and dreaming poignantly convey the young narrator's desire to survive her father's brutality and its devastating effect on her family.” (Brabander, 2001). An Na’s touching story earned the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.
Reference List:
Brabander, Jennifer M. Review of A Step From Heaven, by An Na. Horn Book
Magazine Vol. 77, Issue 4 (July/Aug 2001): 458.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Topic 1: The Moved Outers by Florence Crannell Means
Means, Florence Crannell. THE MOVED-OUTERS. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1945.
THE MOVED-OUTERS by Florence Cannell Means relates the experiences of Sumiko “Sue” Ohara and her family after they are “relocated” following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Sue’s father is taken into custody by the FBI, her sisters are away at school and one of her two brothers is in the army in Italy. With her mother and brother Kim, Sue faces the uncertain future first in the Santa Anita relocation camp. Determined to be of use, Sue has to face her swirling emotions, those of the “moved-outers” in the camp and with the “good” Americans on the outside.
Love and friendships are tested in this story of a confusing and frightening time in American history. Means' conviction that "all men are brothers." (Morad, 127). The images are vivid and provide "details of the daily existance...the lack of privacy, the disillusionment, [and] the physical restrictions." (Morad, 127). The story is not all bad, because Means also paints a portrait of a young woman with all the luxuries usually taken for granted stripped from her, but who still finds a purpose in working with the young children around her.
The readability of this story allows younger teens to comprehend the story, but does not take away from the humanity of the people trying desperately to survive in a country that had turned on its citizens. THE MOVED-OUTERS was published in February, 1945, which made it available seven months before the end of the war with Japan. It did not receive the “readership or visibility it deserved” because it was published when anti-Japanese feelings were rampant, either because of the war or simply racial bias. (Morad, 132). Means talked with interred Japanese-Americans at the Amache Relocation Camp near her Colorado home.
Reference List:
Morad, Deborah J. 1999. Children’s Literature Review. Vol.56. Boston: Gale Group,127.
Ibid., 131-132.
BY KELLY HALL
THE MOVED-OUTERS by Florence Cannell Means relates the experiences of Sumiko “Sue” Ohara and her family after they are “relocated” following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Sue’s father is taken into custody by the FBI, her sisters are away at school and one of her two brothers is in the army in Italy. With her mother and brother Kim, Sue faces the uncertain future first in the Santa Anita relocation camp. Determined to be of use, Sue has to face her swirling emotions, those of the “moved-outers” in the camp and with the “good” Americans on the outside.
Love and friendships are tested in this story of a confusing and frightening time in American history. Means' conviction that "all men are brothers." (Morad, 127). The images are vivid and provide "details of the daily existance...the lack of privacy, the disillusionment, [and] the physical restrictions." (Morad, 127). The story is not all bad, because Means also paints a portrait of a young woman with all the luxuries usually taken for granted stripped from her, but who still finds a purpose in working with the young children around her.
The readability of this story allows younger teens to comprehend the story, but does not take away from the humanity of the people trying desperately to survive in a country that had turned on its citizens. THE MOVED-OUTERS was published in February, 1945, which made it available seven months before the end of the war with Japan. It did not receive the “readership or visibility it deserved” because it was published when anti-Japanese feelings were rampant, either because of the war or simply racial bias. (Morad, 132). Means talked with interred Japanese-Americans at the Amache Relocation Camp near her Colorado home.
Reference List:
Morad, Deborah J. 1999. Children’s Literature Review. Vol.56. Boston: Gale Group,127.
Ibid., 131-132.
BY KELLY HALL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
