Module 15 – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

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Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
   
Summary —

Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian tells the story of a freshman-aged Spokane Indian, Arnold Spirit, Jr.  After acting out at school because he realized his geometry text was a generation old, he’s encouraged by his math teacher to find a place that has hope: there is no hope to be found at the reservation. Junior decides to leave the "rez" school to attend an all-white school in a neighboring town, Reardan.  He faces objections from the Indians on his reservation, who consider him a race-traitor, and he faces some horrible racism in his new school, since he's the only Indian at that school other than the mascot.  But he slowly makes new friends, finds a girlfriend, gets a spot on the varsity basketball team, and in general succeeds in his attempt to find an out from the limited possibilities for a smart kid on the reservation. The narrative is not all joy, as his grandmother is killed by a drunk driver, his father’s best friends is shot to death, and his sister dies in a fire.  Despite the support he receives from his immediate family to try a new school, his father is still an alcoholic who occasionally disappears for days at a time when he goes on a bender. On a more positive note, Junior’s new friends all stand up for him when one of the Reardan teachers mocks him for his number of absences. By the end of the novel, Junior even manages to patch things up with Rowdy, his best friend who had been the most angry when Junior decided to go to school at Reardan. The two spend a day playing basketball one-on-one into the evening, best friends once again, as if nothing had ever happened.

Lucien’s thoughts —

I really enjoyed this book.  It was equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching, as Junior often uses humor to staunch the pain.  His diary doesn’t flinch from pointing out the inequities of living in poverty, starting the novel with a brief story about how they couldn’t afford to takes his dog to the vet when he got sick, but his dad could afford the bullet needed to put him out of his misery. In general, I think this book is a great example of hope and hard work overcoming adversity. This book would be great for any reader who has ever felt like an outsider because of his or her skin color. The book perfectly captures the ambivalent feelings of leaving your community to strive for something better; it's not all positive emotions.  There are real feelings of guilt and betrayal that accompany the feelings of hope. It's a well-written book, full of humor and wit, but also sorrow and pain.
   
Librarian’s use —

This is a great book to use on a social studies unit on Native Americans and modern life on the reservation. The book points out quite starkly how alcohol is both a coping mechanism and seed of destruction for many Native Americans on the reservation.  Arnold uses a lot of humor as his way of dealing with painful subjects, like poverty, racism, depression, and alcoholism, all problems that are plentiful on the reservation. On the other hand, he points out that in some ways, his family is more present to him than the families of some of his white schoolmates, where fathers are too busy to be a part of their kids’ lives. I think the book is a great way to introduce young readers to a voice from a marginalized culture. Alexie plays with cultural stereotypes, fleshing them out to be real people with real problems.

Other reviews —

Sutton, R. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. Horn book magazine, 83 (5), 563-564.
   
The line between dramatic monologue, verse novel, and standup comedy gets unequivocally -- and hilariously and triumphantly -- bent in this novel about coming of age on the rez. Urged on by a math teacher whose nose he has just broken, Junior, fourteen, decides to make the iffy commute from his Spokane Indian reservation to attend high school in Reardan, a small town twenty miles away. He's tired of his impoverished circumstances ("Adam and Eve covered their privates with fig leaves; the first Indians covered their privates with their tiny hands"), but while he hopes his new school will offer him a better education, he knows the odds aren't exactly with him: "What was I doing at Reardan, whose mascot was an Indian, thereby making me the only other Indian in town?" But he makes friends (most notably the class dork Gordy), gets a girlfriend, and even (though short, nearsighted, and slightly disabled from birth defects) lands a spot on the varsity basketball team, which inevitably leads to a showdown with his own home team, led by his former best friend Rowdy. Junior's narration is intensely alive and rat-a-tat-tat with short paragraphs and one-liners ("If God hadn't wanted us to masturbate, then God wouldn't have given us thumbs"). The dominant mode of the novel is comic, even though there's plenty of sadness, as when Junior's sister manages to shake off depression long enough to elope -- only to die, passed out from drinking, in a fire. Junior's spirit, though, is unquenchable, and his style inimitable, not least in the take-no-prisoners cartoons he draws (as expertly depicted by comics artist Forney) from his bicultural experience.

Chipman, I. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. Booklist, 10 (22), 61.

Arnold  Spirit,  a  goofy-looking  dork with  a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on  the “poor-ass” Spokane  Indian  reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the rez, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home  life begins  to  crumble  and decay amidst  the  suffocating mire  of  alcoholism  on the  reservation. Alexie’s humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn’t pull many punches as he levels his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt. A few of the plotlines fade to gray by the end, but this ultimately affirms the incredible power of best friends to hurt and heal in equal measure. Younger teens looking for the strength to lift themselves out of rough situations would do well to start here.

Module 14 – Who Am I Without Him?

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Flake, S. (2004). Who am I without him? New York, NY: Jump at the Sun/ Hyperion Books for Children.

Summary —

Who Am I Without Him?: Short stories about girls and the boys in their lives is a collection of short stories by Sharon G. Flakes. The book takes its title from the first short story, "So I Ain't No Good Girl."  In it, the girl is faced with the prospect of a boyfriend, Raheem, that has a wondering eye and perhaps a straying heart.  She wonders if she should just ignore it, so that it doesn't cause Raheem to leave.  She rationalizes that she better enjoy what she has instead of pushing him away, because she asks herself, "Who am I gonna be without him?" By the end of the story, she has seen Raheem whispering sweet nothings in the ear of another girl, but she decides to pretend she didn't see it so that Raheem won't leave her.  The book contains ten different vignettes of African-American girls and their relationships with the boys around them.  Often, the narrator of a story is unnamed, though she describes the people in her life.

One of the other stories that really stayed with me is "I Know a Stupid Boy When I see One."  In this one, the narrator is a girl who is pregnant and whose boyfriend, Oscar is in jail.  She hears about a lawyer who will help her sell her baby to a couple looking to adopt, and her father is eager for the money.  While she's away awaiting her baby's birth, she meets a slow boy, Willie Greentea, who hit his head when he was younger, and has been slow ever since.  She manages to get Willie Greentea wrapped around her finger, but eventually Willie realizes that she's going to have a baby.  He buys it from her for a small sum of money, not understanding that the baby is already due to go to another family.  Eventually, the narrator decides to back out of the adoption process, but is visited in the hospital by Willie Greentea, who expects to take the sick baby home with him.  She eventually dies at his hands at the end of the story.

In one of the later stories, “Jacob’s Rules,” Mr. Jacob has a project for his class: he breaks the class into groups, one boy, one girl, and one observer (half of the groups have girl observers, half of the groups have boy observers).  For the next few weeks, the groups have to behave as if they are a couple, working on projects together, shopping around for a house, and researching what is involved in adopting a child.  The story follow Brandon and Marimba, a couple that just can’t seem to get along, mostly because Brandon doesn’t find Marimba attractive, but is instead drawn to their observer, Kenya.  The project is intended to teach the students some of the skills necessary to succeed in a long-term relationship.  As Mr. Jacobs points out, “Young men today think dating is about finding a girl, mounting a girl, and ditching a girl… I want them to see that there’s more to it than that.” By the end of the story, it’s revealed that the observers were specifically chosen because they were attractive kids, and were secretly tasked to try and undermine the relationship they were ostensively observing. Brandon learns the lesson that no one likes to be used.

The final short story is a letter from an absent father giving his daughter advice on how to pick a good boy, not someone who will leave her like he left her mother. Since it’s one of the stories that is not from a teen’s perspective, it’s one of the weakest short stories presented, even if it is full of useful advice about learning to stand for yourself and never letting your dreams be buried for another boy’s affection.

Lucien’s thoughts —

Flake’s story-telling is uneven, as some stories are significantly more compelling than some other ones, but I can see a teenager reading this book identifying with some of the characters.  I think the book is useful in it’s frank portrayal of teenage relationships; the book doesn’t shy away from topics like pregnancy and abusive boyfriends, but it isn’t especially sexually graphic or explicit.  It could find a home in a middle-school library.  The book doesn’t make a huge deal about it, but it’s implied that most of the characters in the short stories are African American, and the book may be used as a way to reach out to students who don’t see very many characters representing their experiences growing up and hooking up. I can see why the book was awarded a Coretta Scott King honors award. While the stories explore serious topics, most of them are infused with a healthy sense of humor.

Librarian’s use —

I think this book of short stories could easily be included in a section on teen romantic fiction.  It’s shorter stories could attract readers who are reluctant to commit to a longer novel, but are interested in teenage dating.  The characters are well sketched by Flake; their characterization feels true. And these are not romantic comedies, where opposites attract and they all end up happily together.  In Flake’s hands, teens often have to face the challenges of a broken heart or crushed dreams.  The book has plenty of life lessons, for those who are looking to read about the often misunderstood needs between boys and girls.

Other reviews —

Rochman, H. (2004). Flake, Sharon G. Who am I without him? Booklist, 100 (16), 1440.

Hilarious and anguished, these 10 short stories about growing up black today speaks with rare truth about family, friends, school, and especially about finding a boyfriend.  Erika is a “ghetto girl” who likes white boys; she can’t help it, and the other black kids in school can’t stand her, because they know.  Class is a big issue for Erin, who steals clothes so he can take a suburban girl to the homecoming dance.  The church girls are forbidden to date, and they get hurt when they go hunting for boys. But their well-meaning parents don’t have it right, and the girls won’t stop looking. As with Janet MacDonald’s fiction, the talk here is wild, angry, and outrageous, but there’s no overt sex or obscenity.  Yes, there are messages, but the narrative is never preachy or uplifting; it’s honest about the pain.  When one girls’ boyfriend hits her, she apologizes “just like my momma does when daddy slaps her.” The best advice comes from a dad who abandoned his family, who now tells his teenage daughter how to avoid getting stuck with someone like him (“you is so much more than a pretty face and a tight pair of jeans, some boy’s girlfriend or some man’s wife”). Not everyone makes it. The stories work because Flake never denies the truths of poverty, prejudice, and failure.

Oluonye, M. (2004) Who am I without him?: Short stories about girls and the boys in their lives. School library journal 50 (5), 147.

Written in the vernacular of urban African-American teens, which Flake captures flawlessly, these 10 stories have universal themes and situations. Some are funny and uplifting; others, disturbing and sad. In "So I Ain't No Good Girl," a teen wants to be with a good-looking popular boy, so much so that she tolerates his disrespect and abuse. In "Wanted: A Thug," Melody writes to a columnist for advice on how to steal a friend's boyfriend, unaware that the friend is the columnist's younger sister. Two of the stories are told from a boy's point of view. The concluding story, "A Letter to My Daughter," in which an absent father gives his daughter his advice about boys and men is sad, poignant, and loving. Flake has a way of teaching a lesson without seeming to do so. Addressing issues and situations that many girls face in today's often complex society, this book is provocative and thought-provoking.

Gordon, L. (2004) Who am I without him?: Short stories about girls and the boys in their lives. Library media connection, 23 (3), 71.

These stories are centered on the theme of adolescent romance. Though all the characters are African American, the author has covered many of the issues that teens of all races experience. In “Wanted: a Thug,” Melody is interested in another girl’s boyfriend and writes
 to an advice columnist who happens to
 be the sister of the other girl. In “I Like White Boys,” the girl yearns for boys that she probably won’t get. “A Letter to My Daughter” is from an absent father who writes to his teenage daughter to give her advice about the men she will encounter and the goals she sets for herself. Other stories concern teen pregnancy, teen boys making wrong decisions to impress girls, and a class experiment on respect and relationships. It is refreshing to see an author who can capture the rhythm of the street and teen culture without needing to add profanity or graphic sex; that makes this book instantly usable in a variety of situations in school beyond its immediate appeal to teens seeking romance. These stories would be appropriate discussion starters in courses that include inter-personal relationships, dating, and sex, such as health, independent living, or family living. Of course, these would be appropriate in English classes too.

Module 13 – Smile

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

Summary —

Reina Telgemeier’s graphic novel Smile is an autobiographical account of her troubles with orthodontics.  Coming home from a girl scout meeting one night in her sixth grade year, Raina and couple of the girls raced to her doorstep, but Raina trips over the curb and lands face first in the concrete.  She loses one of her front teeth, while the other is shoved deeply into her gums.  Her dentist attempts to reattach the busted tooth, but the procedure is a failure, since both teeth are sunk higher into her mouth.  They try using braces and headgear to pull down the two teeth, but that doesn’t work. The next procedure they try is to remove the two front teeth and replace them with a retainer that has prosthetics for her missing teeth.  Just about the time Raina is getting used to the retainer, they move on to the next step: using braces to move her remaining teeth into the gap created by the lost two front teeth.  This next phase is especially painful, as each time she has her braces tightened, her whole mouth aches. In addition to physically hurting, Raina’s orthodontic travails take their toll on the self-esteem of a young girl trying to navigate her new emotions for Sean and Sammy.  But by the time Raina hits eighth grade, she breaks off with the girls she’d been friends with from elementary and makes new friends, more in line with her interests in art and choir. Surrounded by new kids that don’t try to pull her down, she finds herself more self-confident and is better able to cope with the long-term effects of her lost two teeth.  Eventually, her other teeth are moved into place and she can have her braces removed.  At first, she’s afraid the other kids will see how weird her teeth are, but she soon discovers that it’s all in her head.  Her friends think her teeth look fine. The book ends with a group picture of Raina and her new friends at a school dance, where she finally has the courage to smile for the camera.

Lucien’s thoughts —

Telgemeier pulls double duty in this book, both writing and illustrating this wonderful Eisner-winning graphic novel. I was impressed by how deftly she combined her text and images to tell her story of orthodontic procedure after procedure to attempt to restore her mouth.  You feel for Raina as she faces each new step along the way and can sympathize for the challenges her mouth cause to her self-esteem.  Although she manages to come through it stronger and more self-confident, it was a difficult journey full of self-doubt and pain.  I think this book is a great novel to give to kids who have to have braces or other orthodontic work done.  They can relate to the protagonist and see that there is an end in sight, even if it’s several years down the road.  This is also a great book to share with people who have a narrow view of graphic novels, expecting superheroes and spandex. Raina is my new favorite heroine, sans cape.  Telgemeier captures the ups and downs of those awkward years between elementary and high school in this pleasantly quick read. I look forward to her next graphic novel, Drama.

Librarian's use—

As many kids in middle school have to have braces, retainers, or other various orthodontia, I think this graphic novel is a great discussion starter for kids to talk about their dentist stories.  As Telgemeier writes in the Author’s Note, “I have a lot of faith and trust in dentistry, and how it can improve people’s lives.” The novel can give kids the confidence to talk about a subject that is often painful to discuss: one’s self-image as a result of orthodontics.  Brace face, metal mouth, jaws, and other countless insults are based on kids’ fears of looking different than their peers.  It’s great to have a resource that paints a positive portrait of dental work.

Other reviews —

Just, J. (2011). Smile. Horn book magazine, 87 (1), 18.

It feels like we need a new word for a new form—gremoir?—but until then, graphic novel memoir will have to do. Smile contains fictional elements but is based on a real-life accident that makes riveting reading. Above all, it is about a down-to-earth girl named Raina who has to survive middle school and figure out who her friends really are.  There are many books that deal with bullying, but perhaps few that kids, especially girls, will recognize the way they will recognize it here,  Using the skillful hallmarks of comic style, with speech bubbles and exclamation points, Telgemeier tells an enormously satisfying story about a girl defeating her own self-doubt and coming into her own.

Stevenson, D. (2010). Smile. Bulletin of the center for children’s books, 63 (7), 306.

This graphic-style memoir focuses on the author's years of adolescent transition, from sixth grade to ninth grade; they're marked not just by the usual awkwardness but also by cosmetic trials after she savages her two front teeth in a fall and undergoes extensive dental and orthodontic work. Raina's experiences are otherwise generally reflective of her age—she crushes on and is crushed on, spends time with good friends and not-so-good friends—and they're steeped in her era, with her experiencing the release of Disney's Little Mermaid and the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. The chronicle sometimes seems a little more like a long anecdote than a shaped narrative, but it touches on enough common and emotionally accessible experience for reader empathy. Telgemeier has a fine eye—or memory—for detail, whether it be the thrill of grossing everybody out with a retainer containing a pair of false teeth, the way ostensible friends ramp teasing up into bullying, or the preteen predilection for taking everything to heart. The art has a friendly, curvy-lined informality reminiscent of Lynn Johnston's in For Better or For Worse, and the design is conventional, even a little staid, but easy-viewing. The very ordinariness of Raina's experience makes her an accessible Everygirl, and young readers will find in her a plausible mirror—or crystal ball—for their own adolescent experiences.

Module 12 – Home on the Range

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Hopkinson, D. (2009). Home on the range: John A Lomax and his cowboy songs. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Summary —

Deborah Hopkinson’s picture book traces the life of John Avery Lomax.  He was raised in a small Texas farm “nestled near a river on the old Chisholm Trail” and often sang while he worked on his chores.  He’d sing while planting corn or churning butter, singing old folk songs his parents and grandparents had taught him. At night’s he could sometimes hear the yodels of cowboys who sang around the campfire.  He decided to gather and write down every cowboy song he heard.  Later, when he went to college at the University of Texas, he shared his collection of cowboy songs with one of his professors, who haughtily pointed out “There’s nothing of value in these songs of plain, ordinary folk.”  Embarrassed, Lomax burned his collection.  He later continued to study and found himself in Harvard, where his knowledge of cowboy folk songs was more positively viewed by his advisor, Professor Barrett Wendell.  Lomax decided to write newspapers out West for the readers to mail him folk songs they had heard; he gathered cowboy songs, sea chanteys, lumberjack songs, and lullabies.  He later presented his findings to his class, and after a short silence, was soon greeted with a round of cheers.  He later decided to go back to Texas and gather first-hand accounts of as many cowboy songs as possible.  He also came equipped with an Ediphone, an early recording device.  Most of the cowboys he interviewed would not sing into the long horn of his recording equipment, but would at least let him write down their folk songs; he once met s cowboy who knew eighty-nine verses to “The Old Chisholm Trail.”  He also was able to record a cowboy cook’s rendition of “Home on the Range.”  By the end of the summer, Lomax had enough material to publish his first of many books on folk music.  He would later go on to record the music of Jelly Roll Morton, Woody Guthrie, and Huddie “Ledbelly” Ledbetter.  His son, Alan Lomax, would later join him on his song-hunting expeditions and became a famous folk musicologist in his own right.  The two would record thousands of songs for the Archive of Folk Music in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.  In addition to it’s wonderful illustraions (by S. D. Schindler),  the book thoughtfully includes snippets of famous folk songs that Lomax collected, such as “Git Along, Little Doggies,” “Sweet Betsy from Pike,” and “Home on the Range.”

Lucien’s thoughts —

The book provides an introduction to the life and early career of song-hunter and musicologist John A. Lomax.  The book gives a fictionalized account based heavily on Lomax’s autobiography, Adventure of a Ballad Hunter (1947).  This book is a fun way to learn about a figure in history who believed there was value in collecting the folk songs of regular people.  Lomax believed there was historical worth to the ditties and ballads that people used to make their lonesome work easier to do.  While the book mostly focuses on his early collection of cowboy songs, Lomax would also later go on to record famous folk singers like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly.  His later expeditions with his son Alan, would record prison blues, the musical traditions of African-American sharecroppers, and hillbilly music from the Ozark mountains.  Lomax’s influence on folk music cannot be understood unless one realizes just how much a visionary he was in recording the songs of daily work life.

I especially found the book to be a fun read, since I had earlier written a college research paper on Nolan Porterfield’s biography, Last Cavalier: The Life and Times of John A. Lomax, which Hopkinson references in her afterword.  She lists several books that she used as references for her picture book.  I also enjoyed that she included some sample cowboy songs as part of the biography.  In her notes, Hopkinson alludes to the complex and controversial history of the song “Home on the Range,” which Lomax first believed to be a folk song of unknown origins.  It was later thought to have been written by an Arizona couple but was eventually established to have been penned by two Kansas men, Brewster Higley and Daniel E. Kelley, in 1873.

Librarian’s use —

This is a great book to use with music, as it contains the words to several cowboy songs.  It would be fairly easy to pair up the book with musical collections of cowboy songs; Roy Rogers and Gene Autry had several music collections that include some of the old folks songs that Lomax made famous, such as “Home on the Range,” “Git Along, Little Doggies,” and “Old Chisholm Trail.” There are also music collections specifically aimed at children that could also be used.  It might even be worthwhile to try and track down some CDs of Lomax’s recordings, which are available from the Library of Congress and have been republished in various music anthologies.

Other reviews —

Cutler, K. (2009). Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs. School library journal, 55(1), 92.

This lovely picture-book biography of the noted musicologist describes his youth in Texas where he enjoyed singing as he worked on the family ranch and he listened to cowboys singing as they traveled the old Chisholm Trail. Lomas taught for a few years, but his passionate interest in music won out and led him to become an extraordinary collector of folk songs. Beautiful ink and watercolor illustrations radiate warmth, charm, and humor, highlighting expressive features and striking individuality. The handsome artwork is full of energy and authenticity, and includes faithful and appealing renditions of animals and bucolic landscapes. Excerpts from some songs appear prominently. Addendum material includes additional details about Lomax, his family, and their legacy; information about the Library of Congress archival collection of songs; and a list of other sources.

Carter, B. (2009). Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs. Horn book magazine, 85 (1), 116.

Hopkinson’s fictionalized biography (defined as such in an informative author’s note) of musical folklorist John Lomax is pitch perfect in its scope for younger readers.  Concentrating on his passion for collecting folk songs from his native Texas, this story begins with Lomax’s early love of work songs and chronicles the fine-tuning of that interest into a respected profession.  The featured songs, such as “Sweet Betsy from Pike,” “Get Along, Little Doggies,” and the titular tune that Lomax resurrected (but one that the author notes ironically he mistakenly identified as a folk song), will be familiar to many young readers.  Illustrations humorously depict the mild-mannered professor traveling through the Texas plains, “clumsy, heavy” Ediphone in tow, searching for examples of our musical heritage.  When Lomax decides to share some of the songs with his classmates at Harvard, Schindler’s illustration transforms the small seminar into a gathering of cowpokes around a campfire peacefully attuned to the frontier setting.  Appended with an author’s note that discusses Lomax’s contributions and processes, a note on sources, and a bibliography.

Module 11 – Poop Happened!

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Albee, S. (2010). Poop happened!: A history of the world from the bottom up. New York, NY: Walker & Company.

Summary —

Sarah Albee’s book looks at a broad swath of historical periods, but with a particular interest on a narrow subject of human activity: how did different people throughout the ages handle pooping and peeing? While investigating that main question, she also asks what jobs were created for the purpose of getting rid of human and animal waste? The book is full of interesting historical facts of various time periods and is mostly organized chronologically, from pre-historic time and on through to the present.  The author traces different ways civilizations have dealt with the problems of waste elimination, highlighting that the better that a civilization dealt with waste, the better things were for its citizens.  As she points out, poop and other biological waste are vectors for various types of diseases, and a good public waterworks system that successfully handle wastewater apart from drinking water leads to cleaner living and less disease. As she points out, the bubonic plague of the fourteenth century was spread by fleas on rats that were drawn to heavily populated cities that could not adequately dispose of their waste.  Likewise, poor water treatment was a factor in later cholera outbreaks of the nineteenth century. In addition to the main narrative, the book’s various chapters are further broken up with lively illustrations and side text, often discussing new terms (many for odd jobs dealing with waste removal). The book presents facts about water and food availability, people’s daily habits, and health/death records (when available) for a variety of time periods. She also gives historical facts about famous figures, such as Emperor Vespasian, who made his fortunes selling urine from public urinals to fullers. In one of the fun asides, we are told that one of Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for a toilet was to be installed in the palace of the French king Francois I; da Vinci died before his plans were realized. She also gives a brief introduction to Sir John Harington, godson to Queen Elizabeth, who first drew up plans for flush toilet in his pamphlet entitled The Metamorphosis of Ajax. And of course, she includes a section on Thomas Crapper, who had as many as nine different patents for plumbing-related inventions.

Lucien’s thoughts —

This is a fun and irreverent look at history from a slightly different perspective.  The book is factual and well researched about sanitary conditions throughout history.  As Albee points out in the introduction, “toilet talk is funny… where it isn’t amusing, at least it’s disgusting, which can be nearly as fun.” As a book aimed for later elementary and earlier middle-schoolers, Albee is gleefully aware of how much fun can be found in potty humor.  The book is full of jokes, puns, and silly euphemisms.  While intended for light-hearted reading, the book is a decent resource for further investigations, as it contains a pretty large section on her source material. It also has a pretty useful index in the back, if you are looking for a particular term or subject. I found the book to be full of interesting anecdotes of historical figures, from Emperor Vespasian to President Lyndon B. Johnson. This is a definitely the “number one book on number two”.


Librarian’s use —

This is a great book to use when introducing a history segment on the Black Death.  While that is only one chapter in this book, it’s a topic in history that might easily be incorporated into a student’s history lesson on the Middle Ages and one of the world’s greatest plagues.  It could likewise be used in conjunction with a history lesson on the cholera outbreaks of the nineteenth century.

One other idea is that because of its gross topic and simple text, this could be a great book to try to book talk for reluctant readers, particularly young boys.  The side-bar text easily breaks up the chapter sections into smaller, tidbit-sized pieces of information.  It also has a plenty of funny illustrations, and thus has plenty for a reluctant reader to latch on to. It could easily be paired up with other books like Bart King’s The Big Book of Gross Stuff, Susan E. Goodman’s The Truth About Poop, and Sylvia Branzei’s Grossology.

Other reviews —

Peters, J. (2010). Poop Happened!: A history of the world from the bottom up.  Booklist, 196 (12), 75.

In an info-dump redolent with Gosh! Yuck! moments, Albee deposits a heaping history of human sanitation—or rather the lack thereof—and its effects.  Developing the premise that three of the four means of spreading disease—air, water, touch, and insect bite—can be blamed on bad plumbing, she pumps out a steady stream of comments on the miasmic effects of urbanization, waste disposal, and the roles of (not) bathing in ancient Greece, Rome, medieval Europe (“The Age of Shovelry”), and the “Reeking Renaissance.”  She then digs into the gradual adoption of better practices in the nineteenth century in response to recurrent epidemics of cholera and other horrors. The cartoon illustrations feature sludgy green highlights; frequent sidebars offer stomach-churning profiles of relevant “Yucky Occupations”; and if systematic scholarship isn’t exactly her fecal—er, focal—point (“Sorry about the Eurocentricity thing,” she burbles in the preface), she does close with generalized source notes. A good choice for readers who feel that Susan Goodman’s The Truth about Poop (2004) and Charise Mericle Harper’s Flush! The Scoop on Poop Through the Ages (2007) haven’t quite squeezed the last drop out of the topic.

Odom, B. (2010). Poop Happened!: A history of the world from the bottom up. School library journal, 56 (5), 126.

This self-proclaimed "number one book on number two" takes readers inside the fascinating world of excrement, ranging across the historical spectrum from "Hellenic Hygiene" to "How Do Astronauts Use the Toilet in Space?" Albee's focus is not only on bodily functions, but also on the larger public-health challenges created by mass urbanization in the ancient and modern world as well as the ability of societies to deal with these problems, which provides readers with an excellent introduction to social history. With a focus on the Western world in general and England in particular, the author touches on an array of topics from diseases such as cholera and plague to the development of increased sanitation in large urban areas such as London. The exciting format is comprised of a two-color (pastel green and blue) layout with numerous illustrations and photos. Interesting sidebars describe occupations and "hygiene heroes" such as Edwin Chadwick and bathroom fashion. The fluid writing style that ensnares and holds readers' attention from beginning to end. By bringing history alive, this captivating work is without a doubt an essential purchase.

Module 10 – The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Volume I: The Pox Party.

image from www.amazon.com

Anderson, M. T. (2006) The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the nation. Volume I: The pox party. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary —

The novel recounts the teenage years of Octavian Nothing, a slave born in Boston of the American Colonies and raised by his mother and a collection of scientifically minded gentlemen that comprise the Novanglian College of Lucidity under the watch of Mr. Gitney. Octavian is raised with a formidable classical education, being trained in Latin, Greek, French, philosophy, natural philosophy, mathematics, and violin. Octavian eventually learns that he and his mother are owned property and part of an experiment to determine if the African race is in fact equal or inferior to the European race. Soon after he learns this fact, he devotes himself with greater zeal to his studies.  The financial benefactor to the Novanglian College of Lucidity dies, and his nephew who has inherited his uncle’s title comes to visit Boston and inspect Gitney’s household.  Lord Cheldthorpe become enamored with Cassiopeia, Octavian’s mother, but is eventually rebuffed when it becomes clear he intends for her to be his mistress, not his wife. Cassiopeia and Octavian are bound and whipped, and Cheldthorpe returns to England furious. After this incident, the finances of the Gitney household abruptly change, and the whole enterprise comes under the watchful eye of Mr, Sharpe, who represents the moneyed interest of several colonial businessmen who own slaves and are very much interested in having scientific evidence that supports slavery. Much of the servants, the experimental instruments, and the paintings in the Gitney household are sold off, and Octavian’s duties now involve taking over the duties previously performed by the now-sold slaves; he’s trained in his new duties by Bono, another one of the Gitney slaves who eventually runs away after he is gifted to a Southern benefactor to the College.  Octavian’s learning is also drastically changed, so that Dr. Trefusis now doesn’t offer classical text to read that have historical or philosophical value, but rather he is forced to translate dry and difficult legal documents and other text that have no narrative element. As the colonies grow closer to insurrection, Mr. Gitney decides to move the household out to the country where he invites relatives to join him for a pox party; they will all be inoculated against the pox.  It later comes to light that Gitney is afraid of a slave insurrection, whose efforts are rumored to be supported by the British crown.  Most of the Gitney household have varying degrees of illness, but three in the pox party die, including Cassiopeia.  Octavian finds Mr. Gitney in the process of dissecting his mother and he flies into a rage, running away and joining the Revolutionary forces, hoping to die at the hands of the British redcoats. Octavian, now a runaway slaves, goes by the name Prince, and is eventually recaptured and returned to Mr. Sharpe. He is kept bound in chains and an iron mask, and as Sharpe explains, his actions have helped prove that despite the education he’s been given, his race is obviously inferior to the European race.  While Octavian faces his captors, Dr. Trefusis has poisoned the tea with a sedative and he helps Octavian run away once more.  The book ends with Dr. Trefusus and Octavian fleeing to a besieged Boston.

Lucien’s thoughts —

Most of the book is told as if were the written account of Octavian himself, a smart and dispassionate youth well educated in the best education available at the height of the 18^th century. Several of the passages concerning his mother’s death are made to look as if they’ve been redacted by his own hand, with scratches and smears helping to show how distraught he is.  His time when he had run away is told via epistles from some of the people Octavian meets along the way.  Anderson’s novel is an interesting account of a fictional character and a fictional scientific society, but the fact is that there were several inquiries along the lines of these that were conducted, and often times the results were skewed to support the ideologies of the time that held there were insurmountable differences between the races.  It favorably reminds me of parts of the Neal Stephenson novel Quicksilver. Anderson's book provides a fascinating different lens with which to view the historical birth of a nation, laying bare the hypocrisy of a population that was trying to break free from one set of bondage while simultaneously supporting another set of bondage. It’s a very powerful story and I’m curious to read the sequel, to see what happens to Octavian and Bono.


Librarian’s use —

I think that one of the interesting features of this book is that parts of it are told via letters, scientific journals, and clippings from newspapers, formats that juxtapose very well with the clear and loft prose of Octavian’s writing.  The librarian could perhaps assemble non-fiction books that have transcripts of real primary sources from the time period, and thus use the book as a springboard into real historical research of the epoch.

Perhaps this novel can also be used in conjunction with other historical fiction books about slaves’ roles the American Revolution, like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains and Forge and Ann Rinaldi’s Wolf By The Ears.  Even if these other books are aimed at a slightly lower reading level, they also discuss the role of slaves and freedmen during this period of time.

Other reviews —

Donelson, K. (2007). The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, traitor to the nation, Volume I. The pox party. English journal, 97 (1), 94-95.

This astonishing mixture of political and social history in the 1760s and 1770s could logically have been called The Education of Octavian.  It is narrated, mostly, by the young Octavia, who lives with the lovely Cassiopeia, who is his mother and the faculty of the Novanglian College of Lucidity.  Mr. Gitney and members of the college divine the secrets of the universe by writing poetry, drawing, and performing sundry experiments, among them taking a dog n, showing affection to it, and then drowning it to see how long the dog takes to die.  While the College may remind readers of Swifts Grand Academy of Lagada with all its madness, their experiments are more cruel… Octavian has no idea who he is, but Mr. Gitney’s valet, Bono, makes the boy see that Octavian is as African as Bono.  With this realization, Octavian understands that he is nothing more than a zoological experiment to the college. Mr. Gitney tells Octavian, “We wish to divine whether you are a separate and distinct species.” Octavian, confused, asks, “You wish to prove I am the equal of any other?” Gitney corrects the boy: “We wish to prove nothing, We simply aim at discovering the truth.” (49, italics in original). Later, money that the College desperately needs come from a consortium eager to prove that Africans are inferior to White people, and at that point, Octavian’s education changes.

Anderson is a born storyteller.  His convoluted plot, full of horrors and, surprisingly enough, humor, will keep reader alert. One episode, “The Pox Party,” is unquestionably the most memorable and most disturbing. The pox contagion is near the college, and Mr. Gitney invites prominent people to dance; play cards; consume great amounts of food, wine, and spirits; and also to be inoculated.  He has secured “from a pest-house in Salem, a glass full of contaminate matter from the pox-sores of the dead” (187). Crude inoculations by Gitney’s scalpel soon begin. Octavian’s mother is not the first to catch the pox, but her death is slowly and surely the most horrible… Much of Octavian departs with her.  Most of Anderson’s readers will follow him through Volume II. Certainly, I will.

The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, traitor to the nation: Volume 1, The pox party. (2006). Kirkus reviews, 74 (18), 945.

A historical novel of prodigious scope, power and insight, set against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War. Readers are seduced by a gothic introduction to the child Octavian, whose bizarre situation is both lavish and eerie. Octavian is domiciled with a gentleman scholar at the "College of Lucidity." A sentient being, he is a living experiment, from his classical education to the notated measurement of his bodily intake and output; as such, the study will degenerate from earnest scholarly investigation to calculated sociopolitical propaganda. Upon learning that he's a slave, Octavian resolves to prove his excellence. But events force the destitute College to depend on a new benefactor who demands research that proves the inferiority of the black race. Like many Africans, Octavian runs away, joining the Revolutionary army, which fights for "liberty," while ironically never assuring slaves freedom. Written in a richly faithful 18th-century style, the revelations of Octavian's increasingly degraded circumstances slowly, horrifyingly unfold to the reader as they do to Octavian. The cover's gruesomely masked Octavian epitomizes a nation choking on its own hypocrisy. This is the Revolutionary War seen at its intersection with slavery through a disturbingly original lens.

Module 9 – Something Rotten: A Horatio Wilkes Mystery

image from www.amazon.com

Gratz, A. (2007). Something rotten: A Horatio Wilkes mystery. New York, NY: Speak.

Summary —

Something stinks in the town of Denmark, Tennessee, and it’s not just the local paper mill’s gag-inducing fumes.  Horatio Wilkes promises his friend Hamilton Prince to unearth the real story of how his father, Rex Prince, CEO of Elsinore Paper Plant, died. In this modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, just about everyone in town is a murder suspect: Prince’s uncle/step-father Claude, his mother Trudy, ex-flame Olivia, his mother’s ex Ford N. Branff, and even the cowboy-outfit wearing help Candy. Each one of them may have motive and means, and Horatio is determined to help his friend figure out who poisoned his father.  Each character introduced is a modern-day equivalent of a character in the original play Hamlet, including the inept country-bumpkin duo of Gilbert and Roscoe (Guildenstern and Rosencrantz). In a knowing homage, Gratz’s version has the play in which we catch the conscience of the king be none other than the community theater’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.  Hamilton accidentally shoots Olivia’s father, Paul Mendelsohn, mistaking him for his uncle, since he was wearing Claude’s hunter’s jacket.  Luckily it’s not fatal, but Paul ends up in the hospital with a shattered shoulder.  Not much later, Olivia ends up in the hospital, too, after she pulls off a media stunt where she drinks some of the water from the polluted Copenhagen River.  Gilbert and Roscoe attempt to take Hamilton out of town to a re-hab hospital, but Hamilton makes a few phone calls and discovers there’s no appointment for Hamilton at the re-hab center.  He manages to rescue Hamilton from Gilbert and Roscoe shortly before the duo’s car blows up, a result of Claude’s mechanic meddling. At last, Horatio is finally able to prove that Claude had been slipping dioxin in his brother’s liquor and slowly poisoning him. Unlike the source material, most of the characters live to see the end of the tale, and there is a happy finale as Hamilton and Olivia seem to reconcile.

Lucien’s thoughts —

I’m a sucker for a good Shakespeare-based story.  I loved Stoppard’s take on Hamlet and was poised to enjoy Grantz’s version.  I’m glad I was able to read it for this class, as it was a fun re-imagining of the Bard.  The ghost scene with Hamlet’s father is replaced with video tape of surveillance footage, and the final duel between Hamlet and Laertes is replaced with a press conference over the environmental impact of Elsinore Paper’s plant, where Hamilton and Larry spar with words instead of swords.  The idea of taking a well-known play and converting it into the literary trappings of a hard-boiled investigator’s tale works really well here.  Grantz follows the general plot outline of the original play, but is loose enough in his interpretation that the suspense of figuring out who did it works. I’ve already decided to add Something Wicked, the next novel in the Horatio Wilkes series based on Macbeth, on my reading list for when I am done with this class.

Librarian’s use —

I think that this book can easily be incorporated into a session on Shakespeare and adaptations of his various plays.  The librarian can introduce the original works for a high school audience, as well as introducing known derivative adaptations, like Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the Horatio Wilkes’ series, and movie adaptations like Ten Things I Hate About You, Strange Brew, Romeo + Juliet, West Side Story, and Shakespeare In Love.  There are also several graphic novel adaptations of Shakespeare, including the Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of The Tempest, to be found in The Sandman, vol. 10: The Wake.

Other reviews —

Stephenson, D. (2007). Something rotten: A Horatio Wilkes mystery (review). Bulletin of the center for children’s books, 61 (3), 140.

As the title and subtitle hint, this mystery story is a revisioned Hamlet, here set in Denmark, Tennessee, the home of Horatio's boarding-school friend Hamilton Prince. The sudden death of Hamilton's father, owner of the lucrative Elsinore Paper Plant, and the swift remarriage of Hamilton's mother to her former brother-in-law has Hamilton suspicious; it doesn't help that he's still hung up on townie Olivia, who's the daughter of the Prince family lawyer and who's convinced that Elsinore has been covering up its dangerous and illegal pollution of the Copenhagen River. The overlay of Raymond Chandler onto the contemporary Shakespeare plot adds unnecessary gimmickry, but it does make Horatio's narration teen-appealingly snarky, and the rest of the story capably accentuates the elements likely to intrigue the YA audience: adult dishonesty, youthful disaffection, troubled romance. There's a hint of Chinatown as well as Chandler in the industrial pollution plot, but Gratz deftly uses that story to energize his updated Hamlet, and his alterations (Hamilton wavers between feigned and real alcoholism rather than madness, while the final face-off is a public hearing rather than a duel) are adroit and effective. The snappy patter and friendship-centered drama make this readable in its own right, and it would serve multiple curricular purposes by giving readers a chance to discuss the reasons behind the variants (Gratz kindly provides his main characters with a more hopeful ending than Shakespeare) and to gain additional understanding from viewing the plot at a different angle. Readers will find this enjoyable as a pleasure read and surprisingly painless as a curricular entry, and if the subtitle suggests sequels rather than "The rest is silence," can you really regret the continued crime-fighting adventures of Horatio and Hamlet?

Something rotten: A Horatio Wilkes mystery (review). (2007). Kirkus review, 75 (17),  929.

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

Module 8 – Little Brother

image from www.amazon.com

Doctorow, C. (2008) Little brother. New York: NY: Tor Teen.

Summary —

Marcus Yallow and three of his friends are skipping school one afternoon to play their favorite Alternative Reality Game (ARG) the day a terrorist attack happens on one of the commuter bridges of the San Francisco Bay area.  The four are detained by the Department of Homeland Security and treated as suspects for the attack.  Three of them are eventually released after several days, but a fourth, Darryl, is detained throughout the duration of the book. Marcus is determined that the tactics of DHS are subverting the liberties that are part of America's birthright, and he vows to bring the DHS's inhuman torture tactics public, although he’s at first unwilling to tell his parents what happened.  He lies and comes up with a cover story that he was on the wrong side of town during the attacks and had been unable to get home for several days.  Once he's back, he helps create the Xnet, a network of Xbox free game consoles hacked to run ParanoidLinux, a flavor of the real OS Linux invented for this novel.  He constantly find ways to subvert and undermine DHS's escalating surveillance and monitoring, hoping to show how their tactics don't make the populace safer, they simply make suspects of those who are not otherwise connected with terrorist extremists.  As part of his work with Xnet, he meets Ange Carvelli, who becomes his new love interest. Marcus and Ange stage a news conference within a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Play Game that Xnetters often play, but all his words are taken out of context or turned against him by a press that doesn’t understand why the kids aren’t all right. After things get really scary, Marcus decides to come clean to his parents about his original detainment. They contact the father of Darryl, who at this point had assumed his son was lost in the original terrorist attacks, and all of them decide to talk to Barbara Stratford, investigative journalist for The Bay Guardian.  She offers Marcus to look into the DHS secret prisons, but warns him that once she has a story, it’s no longer just his; there may be repercussion. Marcus is contacted by another teen working for DHS, Masha, and warned that they are on to him and are only a few days away from making another series of busts.  She’s planning to escape from DHS and offers Marcus a chance to get out of town with her if he can organize a distraction that DHS will have to respond to. Marcus stages a Vampire-themed ARG/demonstration as part of his plans to meet up with Masha, but he’s separated from Ange in the ensuing confusion. Marcus is eventually captured by DHS once more, but not before he’s able to get photos from Mashas’s phone to Startford for her expose. Once in DHS’s captivity, he’s waterboarded as part of his interrogation. He nearly gives up hope of living through this when Stratford and a the California State Troopers intervene, taking the first few steps to dismantling the secret prisons run by DHS.  Marcus is eventually released and thanks to the work of ACLU lawyers he’s charged with only minor misdemeanors in a court of law for stealing Masha’s phone.

Lucien’s thoughts —

I have to admit that this has been one of my favorite books I’ve read this semester.  Doctorow knows how to set up a fast-paced adventure while still managing to slip in interesting characterization and various screeds about public encryption systems, privacy rights, and identity hacking. The novel is a good exercise in exploring what liberties we are in danger of losing or have already lost as a result of the measures taken in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The novel includes secret prisons, waterboarding, and warrantless surveillance measures, but has them happen in our own back yard. While it's near future dystopian sci-fi, it borrows much from the present political climate and postulates what would happen if there were another successful terrorist attack on American soil. It's equal parts revenge narrative, love story, and civil liberties indoctrination.  I really enjoyed reading this book, but I have one very small complaint.  The villains in charge of DHS are very one-dimensional and I think Doctorow harms his otherwise cogent critiques by having such simple strawmen as the antagonists. It’s a minor flaw in an otherwise wonderful thriller. Doctorow is even willing to make this book, as all his others, available for free in a variety of different electronic formats. No excuses, now. Please read this book.

Librarian’s use —

I think that this book’s would be a great discussion starter for young readers about the things they can do to protect their privacy in an increasingly public digital world. We can first discuss how little of what occurs online is truly private: Facebook and ISPs often work with law enforcement to track down criminals, and what they publish thinking only their friends can see can come back to haunt them. The book can be an invitation to discuss what liberties we are in danger of losing or have already lost as a result of the measures taken in the Patriot Act, and what else we may lose if citizens are not active in their desire for transparency and accountability in our government.

Other reviews —

Spisak, A. (2008). Little brother (review). Bulletin of the center for children’s books, 62 (3), 113.

Marcus considers himself an average teen, if a bit on the tech-savvy geeky side, until a horrific terrorist attack in California (and an unfortunate misunderstanding about his role in the event) changes his life forever. After he and his friends are questioned for days without official charges, decent treatment, or even notification of their families, all but one are released and warned that they will now be under constant surveillance. The remainder of the volume is primarily a well-written and edgy radical technology how-to about all the ways teens (or adults) can resist governmental and police efforts to trample and abuse freedom. Marcus embarks on a quest to save his still detained friend, falls in love with an equally intelligent and progressive girl, and becomes the anonymous online leader of an underground movement to rein in the increasingly dictatorial powers that be, but his story is essentially background to the elaborate and clear descriptions of the individuals, technology, and methods that could all be researched and used by readers themselves. The hybrid of fiction and instructional guide could be an uncomfortable fit, but Doctorow makes it all so compelling, whether explaining how to hack an Xbox or waxing poetic on two otherwise brilliant teens negotiating the inevitably awkward but endearing pursuit of first love, that readers will be captivated by the whole complex mix. And if readers aren’t inspired to direct action by the book itself, then the intriguing and passionate afterwords by the original Xbox hacker, a security technologist, and Doctorow himself, who offers an informal annotated bibliography of important works, may nudge a few away from political apathy or measured, organized protests and into some radical acts of their own.

Hunt, J. (2008). Little brother. Horn book magazine, 84 (4), 441-442.

The encroachment on individual rights by national security is a primary theme of George Orwell's 1984, and, as his title suggests, Doctorow pays homage to that classic with an impassioned, polemical consideration of the War on Terror that dovetails with themes of teenage angst, rebellion, and paranoia. After a major present-day terrorist attack, Marcus Yallow, a.k.a. "w1n5t0n" (as in Winston), is arrested and interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security. Marcus is released, and before he is rearrested and ultimately tortured, he applies his formidable technological savvy to thwarting further efforts to restrict personal liberty, drawing him into a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game with the government, a game that is complicated by issues of friendship, romance, trust, loyalty, and betrayal. The San Francisco Bay Area is an inspired choice of setting, with its history of technological innovation and free-thinking counterculture. While the interesting digressions into history, politics, social commentary, and technology occasionally halt the novel's pacing, Little Brother should easily find favor with fans of M. T. Anderson's Feed, Janet Tashjian's The Gospel According to Larry, and Scott Westerfeld's So Yesterday.

Module 7 – Mockingbird

image from www.amazon.com

Erskine, K. (2011). Mockingbird. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.

Summary —

Caitlin Smith is a young girl who is coping with the recent death of her older brother, Devon, who was killed at a school shooting.  Things are especially difficult for Caitlin, because she has Asperger’s Syndrome. She has a hard time with emotionally charged concepts like closure, empathy, and friendship; her brother was the one person who best helped her make sense of a confusing world. Her father is a widower who now has to handle the grief of losing a child all by himself.  He seems hardly equipped to handle his own emotions, much less help Caitlin come to terms with her brother’s death.  Luckily for Caitlin, the school’s counselor, Mrs. Brooks, is able to reach out to her and help her navigate through her grief.  Caitlin comes across the word closure, and she tries to understand how to achieve it for herself and for her father.  Under Mrs. Brook’s guidance, she spends part of her recess with some of the younger children at her school, where she makes friends with Michael, a little boy whose mother was a teacher killed at the same school shooting as Devon. Devon had been planning to work on his Eagle project by teaching others how to make a mission chest; he and his father had just started working on it before he was killed. Now, the chest is hidden under a sheet, never to be completed.  Caitlin becomes convinced that if her father would teach her how to complete the chest, they could finish Devon’s project and perhaps find some closure.  At first, her dad is can’t bring himself to touch the project, but eventually the two work together and finish the chest.  They then decide to donate it to the school in memory of Devon.  While it doesn’t bring Caitlin back to how things were, working on Devon’s chest helps both her and her father heal. Caitlin starts to understand that Michael is also in need of some closure in his struggle to understand the loss of his mother. Caitlin then recognizes that the whole community was affect by the shooting and they are all looking to find some way to heal.

Lucien’s thoughts —

The whole novel is told from Caitlin’s perspective, and she is often times unaware of the emotional repercussions of her words and actions.  The audience is able to understand her father’s grief in a way that Caitlin can’t quite grasp and the book is that much more painful for it.  I constantly found myself near tears as Caitlin doesn’t quite understand why her father is behaving the way he is.  It’s a poignant account of how a whole community is affected by acts of violence. Caitlin’s disability is an interesting filter and narrative voice for a book that realistically examines how to get past the pain and loss in the face of a random act of violence.  I think this book is an important novel to help students view the world from the perspective of someone who is different in their mental processing.  Erskine obviously has lots of experience and understanding of a person with AS, and the voice of the main protagonist is that much richer for it.  I think this book has the ability to open up readers to look at people with AS as something other than “weird” or “freaky”. As is evident by her actions, Caitlin is intelligent and talented (especially in her art) but her way of understanding the chaos around her is very different than most girls.  In Erskine’s hands, we root for Caitlin to find some comfort and healing, which gladly, she does.

Librarian’s use —

I think that this book’s main topic is how to find ways to cope with grief and it’s something that many readers can relate to.  Many children have lost grandparents or other close relatives; some may have even lost siblings or parents, like in this book.  I think using the book as a way to discuss some of the ways people behave in the days after the loss of a loved one is a great idea. Readers can share about people they have lost, how they felt at first and what they have done since then to accept the grieving process.

Other reviews — Stevenson, D. (2010). Mockingbird (review). Bulletin of the center for children’s books, 63(9), 377.

While autistic-spectrum disorders are a fairly common topic in children's literature at the moment, Caitlin is a distinct personality, and the book allows her some genuinely offputting habits and mannerisms as well as making her sympathetic through her narration; underneath her protagonist's voice, Erskine has a smooth and accessible style that keeps the story flowing. The book is rather overpacked with message, symbolism, and hackneyed emotional journeys, however, straining credulity to get everybody to resolution and to do so in a way that allows readers in on the process, and Caitlin devolves from a character into a sentimental cliché, the innocent vessel through which wisdom is conveyed. For readers who appreciate an emotional family story, however, the book offers some gentle reading on a complicated subject.

Brautigam, F. (2010). Erskine, Kathryn. Mockingbird. School library journal, 56 (4). 154-156.

From inside Caitlin's head, readers see the very personal aftermath of a middle school shooting that took the life of the older brother she adored. Caitlin is a bright fifth grader and a gifted artist. She also has Asperger's syndrome, and her brother, Devon, was the one who helped her interpret the world. Now she has only her father, a widower who is grieving anew and whose ability to relate to his daughter is limited. A compassionate school counselor works with her, trying to teach her the social skills that are so difficult for her. Through her own efforts and her therapy sessions, she begins to come to terms with her loss and makes her first, tentative steps toward friendship. Caitlin's thought processes, including her own brand of logic, are made remarkably clear. The longer readers spend in the child's world, the more understandable her entirely literal and dispassionate interpretations are. Marred slightly by the portrayal of Devon as a perfect being, this is nonetheless a valuable book. After getting to know Caitlin, young people's tendencies to label those around them as either "normal" or "weird" will seem as simplistic and inadequate a system as it truly is.

Mockingbird. (2010). Kirkus reviews, 78 (5), 198.

This heartbreaking story is delivered in the straightforward, often funny voice of a fifth-grade girl with Asperger's syndrome, who is frustrated by her inability to put herself in someone else's shoes. Caitlin's counselor, Mrs. Brook, tries to teach her how to empathize, but Caitlin is used to depending on her big brother Devon for guidance on such matters. Tragically, Devon has been killed in a school shooting. Caitlin, her dad and her schoolmates try to cope, and it is the deep grief they all share that ultimately helps Caitlin get to empathy. As readers celebrate this milestone with Caitlin, they realize that they too have been developing empathy by walking a while in her shoes, experiencing the distinctive way that she sees and interacts with the world. Erskine draws directly and indirectly on To Kill a Mockingbird and riffs on its central theme: The destruction of an innocent is perhaps both the deepest kind of psychosocial wound a community can face and its greatest opportunity for psychological and spiritual growth.

Module 7 – The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

image from www.amazon.com

Lyga, B. (2007). The astonishing adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Boston, MA: Graphia.

Summary —

Fanboy’s life is living hell when he gets targeted for bullying by Mitchell Frampton in gym class.  While the gym coaches are too busy to notice what’s going on, Mitchell punches Fanboy in the shoulder, repeatedly nailing him in the exact same spot.  But someone in the bleachers notices how Fanboy doesn’t even respond. He later receives a chat request from someone with the IM handle of Promethea387 and a strange new friendship sparks with Kyra, aka Goth Girl.  Fanboy doesn’t even tell Cal, his only other friend, about Goth Girl or the graphic novel he’s been working on, Schemata. In his mind, his graphic novel is his ticket out of his miserable life.  Something about Kyra makes him feel safe enough to share his work-in-progress. He’s hoping to have enough of it ready to show comics creator Brian Michael Bendis at the Comic-Con in the large city an hour’s drive from Brookdale. Kyra becomes his greatest supporter, and even though they have a horrible fight, Kyra still has suggestions for making the graphic novel better. To make things worse, Fanboy and Cal also have a fight when the lacrosse regional championship is scheduled for the same day as the Convention, and Cal cannot understand why it’s so important that they still go to the convention. Fanboy’s plans to go by himself may come to a crashing halt when his pregnant mother schedules a baby shower on the same day as the convention.  At the last minute, his step-father Tony offers to drive him into the city, but things with Bendis don’t go well.  Kyra manages to meet him at the convention, and she storms at Bendis when she hears that he wouldn’t look at Schemata, making a huge scene. As horrible as they day turns out, Cal and Fanboy patch things up, and Fanboy uncharacteristically accepts an invitation from Cal to go to a party with the rest of the lacrosse team.  At the party, he has an opportunity to talk to (and even kiss) the girl of his fantasies, Dina Jurgens. The next day at school Fanboy has plans to get even with his tormentor, Mitchell, and ends up in the principal’s office for his efforts. Fanboy eventually realizes Kyra has stolen his lucky totem, a bullet he carries around in his pocket.  Fearing that she may have plans to commit suicide with that bullet, Fanboy tracks down Kyra’s father’s work number and he shares his concern for his friend’s safety.  He finds Kyra, and instead of fixing everything, they end up in a fight once more.  When he gets home, there is an angry email from Kyra after she found out her father had been contacted.  Yet the book ends on an optimistic note, because although he doesn’t know what will happen with Kyra and with Schemata, Fanboy is confident that things will somehow work out for the best.

Lucien’s thoughts —

As an avid comic book reader, I really enjoyed having a novel that took place in the life of a comic book dork.  The discussions he has with Cal and with Kyra concerning comic books ring so very true, and it’s obvious Barry Lyga gets that sub-culture. I’m a huge Brian Micheal Bendis fan, so having him show up as a bit character was great.  However, you don’t have to be a comics fan to get the sharp and witty writing. The dialogue here is pitch perfect. The scenes with the bullies are typical fare for realistic non-fiction, even though Fanboy manages to get away with things no real person could without facing repercussions at school. His handling of his relationship with Kyra is clumsy and awkward, as you would expect of a teen his age.  It’s obvious they both care for each other, and Kyra is too damaged for things to go smoothly.  I thought they were both very wonderfully realized characters, even if some of the other characters in the novel are less dynamic than these two.

Librarian’s use —

I think one of the topics that is briefly mentioned in the book is cutting and suicide attempts.  The book can be used as an introduction to a very serious discussion on signs to look for in friends who may be considering suicide and how to best provide help.  The librarian can come armed with material on suicide prevention hotlines and other resources for teens who are having problems.  School counselors can be included in this frank discussion, as they are often better equipped to talk to students about the various options they have at their disposal. I think introducing such a serious topic in the context of a funny book can help lighten the mood and help open up students to the various ways they can help themselves and their friends.

Other reviews —

Engberg, G. (2006). Featured review: Lyga, Barry. The astonishing adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Booklist, 103 (1), 113.

Fifteen-year-old Fanboy is miserable at school, where he is bullied, and at home, with his pregnant mother and her husband, the “step-fascist.” His only relief is the late hours spent creating his own comic book. Then he receives an instant message from Kyra, an enighmatic Goth who seems to be the only witness to the violence he endures, and the two form a cagey, charged friendship…Lyga’s debut novel is a darkly comic, realistic, contemporary story of bullying an a teen’s private escape in artistic pursuits. Fanboy entertains plenty of violent thoughts. He carries a bullet, keeps a tally of his abusers (“The List”), and lashes out with sometimes-cruel remarks, which feel sharply authentic.  The insider comics details will slow some readers, and the pen-ended questions about Kyra’s personal story will frustrate others. Yet Fanboy’s whip-smart, often hilarious sarcastic voice skillfully captures a teenager’s growing self-awareness, and adds a fresh, urgent perspective to age-old questions about how young people cope with bullying and their own feelings of helplessness, rage, and being misunderstood as they try to discover themselves.

The astonishing adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. (2006). Kirkus reviews, 74 (19), 1018.

Lyga has crafted credible protagonists in his first work of fiction about two misfit teens who forge a friendship. Donnie (aka Fanboy) is a comic-book aficionado, who lives with his newly remarried, pregnant mother and his "step-fascist." Rule-abiding and honest, Fanboy's goal in life is to meet writer and illustrator Brian Michael Bendis, to show him his own graphic novel. Unfortunately, Fanboy is tormented at school and has fantasies about school massacres; he finds comfort in his talisman, a single bullet. Enter Kyra (aka Goth Girl), who is confused and frustrated with Fanboy as she observes him refusing to stand up for himself. She reaches out to him, and the two quickly establish an uneasy albeit powerful relationship based on their mutual disdain for most of their peers and their love of comics. Although it seems likely that Goth Girl's recklessness and cynicism will have a detrimental effect on Fanboy, he begins to see her as vulnerable, and helping her gives him new purpose. Because it's authentic and well-written, teen readers will appreciate the complexities of these unique characters, and root for them to triumph.

Module 6 – Chester

image from www.amazon.com

Watt, M. (2007). Chester. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press Ltd.

Summary —

This is a hilarious little picture book that pits the author/illustrator Melanie Watt against her pet cat Chester in telling the story. Melanie intends to write about a mouse living in the country, but Chester takes his red pen and edits the book so that it is all about him. Melanie tries to wrest the story from Chester and continue telling her original narrative of a mouse in the country, but Chester is insistent in making the book about a cat named Chester. Eventually, Melanie gives in and makes it all about him. But she has her fun with story, drawing Chester in pink tutu.

Lucien’s thoughts —

This was a one of the best picture books I’ve read so far. The give and take between the two dueling authors is wonderful, and clearly illustrated for the reader: Melanie’s story is in black text, while Chester’s edits are in red.The book’s story is incredibly funny as the two voices argue back and forth in trying to tell the tale in the way that each intends.There is a humorous escalation and tension between the two diverging story-lines and the pay-off at the end is really funny. My daughter laughed throughout the book as I read it to her, especially enjoying the illustrations of Chester getting wet in the rain and then wearing a pink tutu. The marginalia on the edges of the text is just the frosting on the cake, adding little flourishes to the rival stories. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book.

Librarian’s use —

I think this book would be a great springboard into a writing class on the topic of editing. The librarian can ask students to write a short story about their pet (or the pet they wish they had, if they don’t have one). Then, invite them to edit their story with a red pen to change some aspect of their original story. The revised story can be as outlandish and silly as their imagination will allow.

Other reviews —

Stevenson, D. (2007), Chester (review). Bulletin for the center for children’s books, 61 (3), 155.

Watt presents audiences with the story of a mouse—or she tries to, but her cat Chester has a red marker and his own idea about the subject of the story: himself. Cat owner and cat fight out the battle for narrative supremacy spread by spread, with Chester drawing cats over the mouse portraits in the illustrations, filling pages with songs of praise to himself, and scribbling satiric images of his mistress and the long-suffering fictional mouse. While the conclusion and some of the logic are a little weak, the notion is entertaining and its execution, which essentially characterizes Chester as a mischievous middle-grader, is frequently hilarious, hitting youngsters right on the funnybone of contention. Illustrations are wisely restrained, operating as a stage set for the front-of-house action (in fact, the mouse-story art and design are cunningly a little bit staid and sweetsy), and overstuffed Chester looms smugly across boundaries as he pleases. This entertains both as a cat story and as an entry-level metatextual narrative, suitable for youngsters not yet ready for Kevin O'Malley's Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude.

Ethington, J, (2012) The hungry bookworm reviews… Chester by Melanie Watt. Retrieved from http://arlingtonlibrary.org/kids-blog/hungry-bookworm-reviews-chester-melanie-watt

Author Melanie Watt is trying to write a story about a mouse, but her chubby calico cat Chester just won't stay away! On almost every page in the book Chester has taken his big, red marker and rewritten the story to make himself the star. Chester's interfering makes the mouse bring in a dog who, with the help of the big-red-marker, becomes a vegetarian who only eats carrots! Finally the mouse says "I can't work like this!", and author Melanie decides to write Chester his own story. But what the calico cat doesn't realize is that Melanie might just write something he DOESN'T like...and it may be pink!

The story of Chester is adorable and I love the illustrations. If your child has a tendency to doodle then this book will definitely be of interest to him or her, since Chester doodles everywhere! Chester is definitely an attention seeker (like many kitties), so reading this story may create a conversation starter for parents and kids about what it means to be like Chester.

Module 5 – Esperanza Rising

image from www.amazon.com

Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary —

The Pura Belpré Award-winning novel by Pam Muñoz Ryan tells the tale of Esperanza Ortega, the only daughter of a wealthy Mexican land-owner who faces several challenges after her father is killed by bandits.  Their house catches on fire and Esperanza and her mother are forced to flee Mexico with almost nothing but the clothes on their back.  They rely on the assistance of Alfonso and Hortensia, who had been servants in her father’s ranch; Alfonso has family in California and now that the ranch is in ashes, their family plans to migrate North.  Esperanza’s mother is tries to make the best of a bad situation and encourages Esperanza to be grateful for what they still have: each other. At first, Esperanza takes care of the children while her mother works in the California farm fields. But after her mother gets sick, Esperanza has to shoulder the responsibility of her mother’s medical costs, so she joins as a farm hand. Alone and apart from her grandmother, Esperanza grows up a lot throughout the course of the book.  At the beginning of the book, she is a spoiled and sheltered rich girl who is afraid to let grubby little peasant children touch her favorite doll.  But by the end of the book, she has learned humility and the value of family, hard work, and generosity.  At one point in the novel, she gives her prized doll and last gift from her father to Isabel to distract her from the disappointment of not winning Queen of the May because she was a poor Mexican girl. She also gives away a piñata that she had planned to give to her mother to a group of poor children whose parents were planning to go on strike. She recognizes that as hard as she may have it, there are always those who have it worse. At the end of the novel, her mother and grandmother are reunited with Esperanza, her mother released from the hospital after a long stay and her grandmother escorted from Mexico by Miguel, Alfonso and Hortensia’s son.

Lucien’s thoughts —

This was a very pleasant book to read since the main character undergoes such a great amount of change as she faces more and more adult challenges in her life.  The story maintains a sense of hope through adversity, and Esperanza is able to hold on to hope that her grandmother will one day rejoin them. She works hard to achieve that goal and her struggle is rewarded at the conclusion of the book.  I also thought it was interesting that the titles of the chapters are named after the Spanish words for significant produce that are part of that chapter’s story.  It helps ground the narrative in way field workers tell time: by the agricultural product of the seasons rather than the names of the months. One thing that I did find a bit annoying was the repeated use of Spanish words followed by their English meanings.  I know Ryan was just trying to capture some of the cultural flavor of life of a Mexican immigrant, but I found the practice slightly off-putting.  That’s a minor quibble for an otherwise interesting book that highlights the difficult conditions that existed for Mexican farm workers in California during the time of the Great Depression.

Librarian’s use —

I think this novel would be a great springboard for a talk on the farm labor movement and the history of farm unions.  Perhaps the librarian could collect other books that are thematically linked to Cesar Chavez and the founding of the National Farm Workers Association.  While Chavez’s work comes from a later point in time, its roots can be traced to the strikes alluded to in Esperanza Rising.

Another possible idea is to gather together books about the Dust Bowl era and the migration of many people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri to California. This book touches on the waves of the desperately poor who went out West to California in search of jobs in the 1930s; it wasn’t just Mexicans who looked for farm labor.

Other reviews —

Burke, L. (2000). Esperanza rising. Reading today, 18 (2), 32.

When her mother falls seriously ill and the economic reality of the Depression threatens her already tenuous ability to earn a living, Esperanza realizes that if she is ever going to thrive she must stop coveting her past and be willing to embrace the riches that lay within her grasp: love, respect, and the chance to create a future of her own design. Written with an uncommon understanding of the plight of Mexican farm workers, this passionate novel gives a human face to an issue that has historically been discussed in terms of the price of fruits and vegetables instead of the cost of human lives.

Freeman, J. (2000). Esperanza rising. Instructor, 110 (4), 20.

Born into a prosperous ranching family in Mexico, Esperanza lives a life of privilege and plenty until the eve of her 14th birthday in 1924, when her adored Papa is murdered by bandits… Mama accepts gratefully the help of two former servants to cross the border into California to work on a farm. They escape by wagon and train, proper Esperanza horrified as she observes the poor, dirty peasants with whom they are traveling. She is even more appalled at her new home, a company camp of cabins that remind her of horse stalls, and a new life spent picking crops in the San Joaquin Valley. Based on the life of the author's grandmother, this moving and involving novel deals with the overwhelming hardships faced by Mexican migrant workers-and the love and pride that helps them survive.

Stevenson, D. (2000). Esperanza rising. Bulletin of the center for children’s books, 54 (4), 160.

Though the piquant riches-to-rags element will draw readers, there's no authorial condescension towards Esperanza's campesino fellow workers, and Esperanza's gradual shedding of her own prejudices towards them is perceptively delineated. The discussion of the strike isn't one-sided, though the book does support Esperanza's decision to keep working, and there's some edifying information about the heterogeneousness of the Latino population in the workforce and their forced repatriation and even migration (some U.S. citizens were sent to Mexico as well). Wide-eyed but thoughtful Esperanza makes an attractive agent for these discussions, and her inevitable pairing with Miguel (who took her saved money in order to bring her beloved grandmother from Mexico to join the family) provides both a touch of romance and an illustration of what Esperanza has gained by coming north.