Module 15: Perks of Being a Wallflower - Censorship Issues

Book Summary:

Charlie is a freshman student whose best friend committed suicide.  He is learning how to cope with this change in his life, so he begins to write letters to an unknown person.  The letters let the reader into the mind, heart and soul of Charlie as he makes new friends, who are seniors,  and begins the journey into adulthood.  Charlie also becomes friends with his English teacher who sees the potential that Charlie has and he gives him extra books to read and writing assignments. Charlie has to learn how to deal with and overcome many issues in his life and he learns how to progress and be successful even though he has had some traumatic things happen to him in his young life.

APA Reference:

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower. New York. NY: Gallery.



Impressions:

This was an interesting read, but I enjoyed the book.  I began to feel sorry for Charlie and I did not want anything else to happen to him. He had so many experiences good and bad and most people would have cracked emotionally before Charlie did at the end of the book.  I kind of thought that he was repressing an experience from the little glimpse into his life when he was younger and in the hospital.  This book covers almost every controversial teen and adult issues and was a little overwhelming.   I felt that Chbosky was trying to include many obstacles for Charlie to be able to overcome and triumph over his struggles. Although this book contains physical and sexual abuse, mental illness, drug abuse, rape, teen pregnancy, racism, sexual experimentation including oral sex, homosexuality and masturbation just to name a few, I think that this book is a valuable resource if it can help give guidance and maybe prevent some of these situations or help an individual look for professional help and begin to heal.

Professional Review:

An epistolary narrative cleverly places readers in the role of recipients of Charlie's unfolding story of his freshman year in high school. From the beginning, Charlie's identity as an outsider that his class has gone through a summer of change, the boy finds that he has drifted away from old friends. He finds a new and satisfying social set, however, made up of several high school seniors, bright bohemians with ego-bruising insights and, really, hearts of gold. These new friends make more sense to Charlie than his star football-playing older brother ever did and they are able to teach him about the realities of life that his older sister doesn't have the time to share with him. Grounded in a specific time (the 1991/92 academic year) and place (western Pennsylvania), Charlie, his friends, and family are palpably real. His grandfather is an embarrassing bigot; his new best friend is gay; his sister must resolve her pregnancy without her boyfriend's support. Charlie develops from an observant wallflower into his own man of action, and, with the help of a therapist, he begins to face the sexual abuse he had experienced as a child. This report on his life will engage teen readers for years to come.

Goldsmith, F. (1999). Grades 5 & up: Fiction. School Library Journal, 45(6), 126.

Library Uses:

This book could be used to discuss the issues involved with banned books and censorship of books.  The topics in the book could be compiled and used by the students to create a display for "Banned Books Week".

Module 14: Mirror Mirror - Poetry and Story Collections

Book Summary:

This book is a poetry book that includes poems that read from the first word to the last word and then the poem is read in the reverse order, starting with the last line.  The poems are about classic familiar fairy tale characters and the author is able to demonstrate to the reader that there are always two sides to every story and that there might not always be a happily ever after.

APA Reference:

Singer, M. (2010). Mirror mirror: A book of reversible verse. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Impressions:

My first impression was WOW, how did the author write these amazing poems.  I was amazed at how the poems made sense when read both direction.  This is an awesome talent to be able to show the point of view of two characters by using the same words, just in reverse order. There are some punctuation changes but the poems were a joy to read and a great way to add new life to classic fairy tales.

Professional Review:

Through a poetic invention she dubs the reverso, Singer meditates on twelve familiar folktales, and, via the magic of shifting line breaks and punctuation, their shadows. Each free-verse poem has two stanzas, set on facing columns, where the second is the fi rst reversed. Red Riding Hood, contemplating berries, thinks, “What a treat! But a girl / mustn’t dawdle. / After all, Grandma’s waiting” while across the page the wolf lurks: “After all, Grandma’s waiting, / mustn’t dawdle… / But a girl! / What a treat…” In the main, the poems are both cleverly constructed and insightful about their source stories, giving us the points of view of characters rarely considered. Similarly bifurcated illustrations, Shrek-bright, face the poems: Nonfi ction Goldilocks (“ASLEEP IN CUB’S BED, / BLONDE / STARTLED BY / BEARS”) awoken; the bears surprised (“BEARS STARTLED / BY BLONDE / ASLEEP IN CUB’S BED”).

Sutton, R. (2010). Mirror mirror: A book of reversible verse. Horn Book Magazine, 86(2), 79-80.

Library Uses:

This book could be used to introduce a poetry lesson in the library.  The students could learn about different styles of poems and them write a poem in their favorite style.

Module 13: Smile - Graphic Novels and Series

Book Summary:

The book is an autobiographical tale of the author's life growing up and the trials that she had to endure with her teeth issues.  The book chronicles the life of Raina through sixth grade to high school.  A large portion of the book deals with the character's ordeal of having to have her teeth adjusted and moved after she knocks them out running to her front door.  She also has to deal with siblings and life changes with her physical body and well as finding a new group of friends to be with because her friends did not respect her individuality and talents.  Raina does not smile very often because she is still discovering her own self worth and talents.  As the book progresses she becomes more confident in her talents and abilities and feels welcomed and accepted for who she is by her new circle of friends and she finds her smile.

APA Reference:

Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Impressions:

I wanted to pass out when Raina knocks out her front teeth.  The graphics add to the story and the facial expressions are easy to read and show how the characters are feeling.  This is such a great graphic novel that can be enjoyed by all students who are growing up and experiencing physical and emotional changes in their lives. I had many painful experiences with my own braces that I could relate to her pain and suffering.  I was laughing when they had to make impressions of her teeth with the pink putty and the teeth trays, this always made me gag when I had to have this procedure done.  I loved how she had the courage to choose a new group of friends who accepted her with all of her individual personality traits.  I was glad that she was able to begin the process of finding her own self-worth and becoming a confident young teenager who is able to feel joy and SMILE.


Professional Review:

A charming addition to the body of young adult literature that focuses on the trials and tribulations of the slightly nerdy girl. Telgemeier's autobiographical tale follows her from sixth grade, when her two front teeth are knocked out during a fluke accident, through high school, when, her teeth repaired, she bids goodbye to her childhood dentist. Like heroines stretching from Madeleine L'Engle's Vicky. Austin through Judy Blume's Margaret to Mariko and Jillian Tamaki's Skim, Raina must navigate the confusing world of adolescence while keeping her sense of self intact. Many of her experiences are familiar, from unrequited crushes to betrayals by friends to embarrassing fashion choices. The dramatic story of her teeth, however, adds a fresh twist, as does her family's experience during the San Francisco earthquake in 1989. Although the ending is slightly pedantic, Telgemeier thoughtfully depicts her simultaneous feelings of exasperation and love toward her parents, as well as her joy at developing her artistic talent--she's deft at illustrating her characters' emotions in a dynamic, playful style. This book should appeal to tweens looking for a story that reflects their fears and experiences and gives them hope that things get easier.

Smile. (2009). Publisher's Weekly, 256(49), 51.

Library Uses:


This book could be used to teach about graphic novels and how they are designed with panels and gutters.  The students could also be taught the proper techniques to read a graphic novel.

Module 12: Nelson Mandela - Biography and Autobiography

Book Summary:

This book is a beautiful picture biography of Nelson Mandela.  The Kadir Nelson, who is both author and illustrator uses simple text and full page illustrations to tell the about the life of Nelson Mandela. He was sent to a live with a powerful chief when he was nine years old.  Mandela was educated and became a lawyer and he used his skills to defend those in need without a voice. Apartheid policy was created and South Africa became a divided country where individuals were not treated with equality. Mandela began to fight against this policy and began to look for a way to change the government and this harmful way of thinking.  He was imprisoned  for over twenty- seven years for his beliefs and stance that change needed to occur for peace to reign in South Africa.  When he was released he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and he was elected the President of South Africa.

APA Reference:

Nelson, K. (2013). Nelson Mandela. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

Impressions:

Kadir Nelson's painting of Nelson Mandela on the front cover is awe-inspiring and the eyes are brilliant as they reflect  wisdom, love and humanity. I don't know if it was Kadir Nelson's idea or his editor to just have the face on Mandela without the title or other text, but it is a powerful and moving cover.  The title and author are on the back of the book and I wish they would have put the award medal on the back so that it did not distract from the painting.  Nelson Mandela wanted human equality and he was not afraid to stand up for his beliefs. He fought against the unfairness of apartheid.  He was an educated man who spoke out against the injustices towards blacks in South Africa.  He was imprisoned but he never gave up the hope that all people would have equal rights. Winnie, his wife was amazing.  She raised their children alone while he was in prison for twenty-seven and a half years.  He became the president of South Africa about four years later.


Professional Review:

An inspirational ode to the life of the great South African leader by an award-winning author and illustrator. Mandela's has been a monumental life, a fact made clear on the front cover, which features an imposing, full-page portrait. The title is on the rear cover. His family gave him the Xhosa name Rolihlahla, but his schoolteacher called him Nelson. Later, he was sent to study with village elders who told him stories about his beautiful and fertile land, which was conquered by European settlers with more powerful weapons. Then came apartheid, and his protests, rallies and legal work for the cause of racial equality led to nearly 30 years of imprisonment followed at last by freedom for Mandela and for all South Africans. "The ancestors, / The people, / The world, / Celebrated." Nelson's writing is spare, poetic, and grounded in empathy and admiration. His oil paintings on birch plywood are muscular and powerful. Dramatic moments are captured in shifting perspectives; a whites-only beach is seen through a wide-angle lens, while faces behind bars and faces beaming in final victory are masterfully portrayed in close-up. A beautifully designed book that will resonate with children and the adults who wisely share it with them.

Nelson Mandela (2012).  Kirkus Reviews, 80(23), 59.

Library Uses:

This would be a great title to introduce biographies to students.  A chapter biography book can be daunting for some students to read.  There are some wonderful picture book biographies that could be used to introduce students to this classification.

Module 11: Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic

Book Summary: 

Robert Burleigh has captured Amelia Earhart's first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932. She was only the second person to do this – and the first woman. The book is very detailed, and the feelings and emotions that are brought to life through text and illustrations are profound. The vivid and detailed illustrations help the reader be connected with Earhart as she battles the elements and her own physical needs as she makes this dramatic journey alone. 

APA Reference:

Burleigh, R. (2011). Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Impressions:

The illustrations and the text make this book action packed and full of adventure.  My heart was racing as she was flying through the storm and getting so close to the Atlantic's surface. I can't imagine flying solo and not having any means of communication.  That would scare the me to death. There is an illustration that I loved and you can see her profile  in the plane and there is a look of fatigue, fear and doubt, but she continued on to meet her goal. It was amazing to read and to know that she was such a pioneer in the world of flight and for women.  She did amazing things and never gave up because someone told her she could not accomplish a task.

Professional Review:

A worthy new addition to the recent spate of books about the famous aviatrix, Burleigh’s story concentrates on Earhart’s 1932 solo flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, placing compelling poetic emphasis on her single-hearted struggle. “Why? Because ‘women must try to do things as men have tried,’” writes Burleigh, quoting Earhart. Terse two-sentence stanzas tell a story focused upon the flight’s trials: a sudden storm (“the sky unlocks”), ice buildup on the plane’s wings, a precipitous plunge toward the Atlantic’s frothing surface, and a cracked exhaust pipe (“The friendly night becomes a graph of fear”). The loneliness of the effort is finally relieved over a farmer’s field, where Amelia lands and says, “Hi, I’ve come from America.” Minor’s illustrations maintain tension by alternating between cockpit close-ups and wide views of the plane crossing the foreboding ocean. Predominant reds and blues convey the pure excitement of the nail-biting journey. An afterword, along with Internet resources, a bibliography, and a column of Earhart quotes, increases the book’s value for curious children who might want more. Finally, Minor’s endpapers, with a well-drawn map and mechanical illustration of the plane Earhart called the “little red bus,” also work to inspire further learning.

Cruze, K. (2011). Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic. Booklist, 107(11), 69.

Library Uses:

This book could be used to teach how to use an atlas and chart her flight path.  It could also be used for a display of famous and heroic females in history.

Module 10: Pink and Say - Historical Fiction

Book Summary:

Pink and Say are two young boys fighting for freedom during the Civil War. Sheldon "Say" Russell Curtis is a frightened and wounded white Union Soldier. He is rescued by Pinkus "Pink" Aylee an African American Union Soldier. Pink takes Say to recover at his home, where his mother Moe Moe Bay nurse both boys to health and get them ready to return to fight. Pink had the opportunity to shake the hand of President Abraham Lincoln, so when Pink and Say shake hands, Say tells Pink that he has touched the hand that touched Abraham Lincoln. The boys are captured by the Confederate Army and are separated from each other. This story is based on real people.

APA Reference:

Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions:

This is a tender story of friendship and acceptance. Pink and Say are Union soldiers.  Pink finds Say wounded and dying on the battlefield.  He takes him to his mother so that she can help him to heal.  Moe Moe Bay is Pink's mother and she nurses both boys back to health.  There is a touching page when Say is comforted and consoled by Moe because he is afraid to go back and join the war.  Moe embraces him and rocks him like her own child.  Pink also knows how to read because he was taught by his former master how to read.  Say does not know how to read, but Pink promises to teach him.  The whole story of touching the hand of President Lincoln is amazing and it was a profound thought that Patrica Polacco is a descendant of Sheldon (Say) Russell Curtis.  Her father passed on the story to her as it was told to him by his mother, who was told the story by her mother who heard it from her father, Say.  What a legacy to have in a family history file.

Professional Review:

This book, the story of Polacco's great-great-grandfather, has been passed down from generation to generation in the author-artist's family. Fifteen-year-old soldier Sheldon Russell Curtis - Say to his family - has been left for dead on a Civil War battlefield somewhere in Georgia. A fellow Union soldier, Pinkus Aylee, who is African American - "I had never seen a man like him so close before. His skin was the color of polished mahogany" - discovers him and, with much effort, drags the feverish Say home, where his mother, a slave named Moe Moe Bay, nurses Say back to health. As the boys regain their strength, they become as close as real family and discuss things close to their hearts. Pink shares his special talent: Master Aylee, his owner, had taught him how to read. "'To be born a slave is a heap o' trouble, Say. But after Aylee taught me to read, even though he owned my person, I knew that nobody, ever, could really own me.'" Say receives special comfort from Moe Moe when he admits that he deserted his troop and is afraid to return to the war. On the morning the two boys plan to leave and search for their respective troops, marauding Confederate soldiers arrive and kill Moe Moe. Pink and Say are later captured and become prisoners of the Confederate Army, in Andersonville. Although Say lived to tell this story of friendship and brotherhood, Pink was hanged within hours of arriving at the dreaded prison. Told in Say's colorful, country-fresh voice, the text incorporates authentic-sounding dialect and expressions - such as darky - that would have been used at the time. Polacco's characteristic acrylic, ink, and pencil illustrations are suitably dramatic and focus on the intense physical and emotional joy and pain of the story's three main characters. The remarkable story, made even more extraordinary in its basis in actual events, raises questions about courage, war, family, and slavery. A not-to-be-missed tour de force.

Fader, E. & Silvey, A. (1994). Pink and Say. Horn Book Magazine, 70(6), 724-725.

Library Uses:

This story could be used as a starting point for studying and locating research information on the civil war.  It could also be used in a report to locate the student's family history or genealogy searches.

Module 9: Humming Room -

Book Summary:

Roo Franshaw has to go live with her Uncle after her parents are murdered and she is hiding under their trailer house. Her uncle, who is her father's brother, lives on Cough Rock Island  in a semi-remodeled old tuberculosis children's sanitarium. Roo likes to be by herself and find places to hide away from the world and think.  The house has many old ghost stories and tales that Roo wants to learn more about.  She hears humming but she is unable to locate the source.  She begins to make friends and learns more about the house as she explores the grounds.  She discovers a hidden and abandoned garden and begins the task of restoring the garden.  Roo has a connection to the earth and growing things and she likes to listen for the sounds that the earth makes when you listen carefully.  She discovers that she has a cousin, Phillip, who is suffering from grief and depression after the loss of his mother.  Roo continues to tend the garden and even helps her Uncle overcome his own grief and self-blame of losing his beloved wife in the garden.

APA Reference:

Potter, H. (2012). The humming room. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Imoressions:

This was a fun read and it was fun to compare the plot line to The Secret Garden.  The parents are not murdered, but die of fever, which is the reason Mary had to go and live with her uncle.  The twist of living in an old children's hospital was a fun twist to the story and I like how the author wove in mystery and mythical themes to add new flavor to a classic tale.  I think that Francis Burnett would be flattered that her story was used as a foundation for The Humming Room.  I hope that this book will bring readers back to the classic story of The Secret Garden. There are many students who have not read or even heard this story so it would be great if both books could be read together, maybe sitting in a beautiful garden.

Professional Review:

Roo, 12, witnesses her parents' murder and survives by hiding beneath the family's trailer home. A rather unlikable child, she's a thief and she bites. She is put in foster care, where she is teased mercilessly by the other children, until a relative can be found. Then a previously unknown uncle turns up. He is wealthy and reclusive and lives on an island. He travels a great deal, so he sends his assistant to fetch Roo. On the train ride to Maine, Ms. Valentine lays down the rules about Roo's new house, and the child immediately sets about breaking every one of them. She discovers a secret box underneath some floorboards. She hears a mysterious humming noise. She notices that a good portion of the home, which used to be a sanatorium for children, is boarded up. And, she wonders about a mysterious, homeless boy she notices on a nearby island. Soon, she's noticing other mysteries and inconsistencies and makes a big discovery, which she keeps a secret. Sound vaguely familiar? The cover states that the book was inspired by The Secret Garden. It so parallels its predecessor that it's really a modernized retelling that works on many levels--but not on others. It's shorter and more streamlined and quite suspenseful. Yet, could a child be so easily hidden away nowadays? Fans of the classic will delight in the similarities and differences. Readers who might be intimidated by the original will find Potter's telling more accessible.

Kahn, B. (20112). The humming room. School Library Journal, 58(5), 116.


Library Uses: 

This book could be used to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the Humming Room and the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Students could also design and create their own gardens or green spaces.