Calamity Jack

1. Bibliography

Hale, Shannon & Hale, Dean. 2010. CALAMITY JACK Ill. by Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781599900766.

2. Summary

In this graphic novel interpretation of "Jack and the beanstalk," Jack is a born schemer who climbs a magical beanstalk in the hope of exacting justice from a mean giant and gaining a fortune for his widowed mother, aided by some friends including Rapunzel.

3. Critical Analysis

Readers will relish this gleeful mix of fairy tale, adventure and romance. This sequel to the energetic Rapunzel’s Revenge focuses on Rapunzel’s sidekick, Calamity Jack and this time Rapuzel is the sidekick. This Jack has American Indian roots and is roguish without the cruel or arrogant undertones sometimes present in other stories. The full-color graphic novel starts with a history of Jack’s criminal history, where every caper, though marginally successful, ends with him in more trouble than he bargained for, including the complete destruction of his mother’s home and business. As in the book Rapunzel’s Revenge, a lot of action combines with clever plotting, in text allusions, and a bit of romance to produce a fully satisfying read.

Nathan Hale’s graphic design is exceptionally well laid out and easy to follow, even for those still getting the hang of the format. The full-color artwork has depth, energy, and plenty of exaggerated violence and humor. The story stands alone in its focus on Jack and his troubles, but it will entice readers to pick up Rapunzel’s Revenge to see how he teamed up with the feisty Rapunzel in the first place. The drawings are done in a clear and energetic style which suits the steampunk city as well as the Wild West. Fans of the previous book will be happy to see this new installment, which should handily garner new fans as well.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Booklist Great Graphic Novels for Teens, 2011 ; American Library Association

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “A fantastic story that keeps the fun tone of Rapunzel’s Revenge while also breaking new ground, Calamity Jack shows how good storytellers can pay homage to classic fairytales without being limited by familiar plots.”

VOYA review: “In the genre of revisionist fairytales, Jack's tales are among the most re-told; however, the Hales provide a truly refreshing and fun version of the rascal.”

5. Connections

Create your own graphic novel using a fairytale character in new adventures.

Read Rapunzel’s Revenge and compare Jack and Rapunzel’s characters/attitudes in the two stories.

Have students turn a fractured fairy tale into a graphic novel of their own design.

The Book Thief

1. Bibliography

Zusak, Markus. 2005. THE BOOK THIEF. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780375831003.

2. Summary

Set in Nazi Germany, this book describes Liesel Meminger’s relationship with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa, and the other residents of their neighborhood, as well as a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. With the help of Hans, Liesel shows the community that stories and friendship are some of the best gifts one has to offer.

3. Critical Analysis

The narrator is Death who does not choose those whose souls he takes; it is his job to gather them after their owners have died. He is appalled by the way in which humans often behave, and especially the horrendous ways in which victims of Hitler’s fanaticism meet their appointments with him. It’s a clever device, allowing for dispassionate observation of events and for a different commentary on matters which can lose their impact by becoming over familiar. It also provides opportunities for Death to drop oblique remarks, leaving the reader fearful for sympathetic characters. This is not a ‘them and us’ war novel. Death portrays what he sees through metaphorical colors that add to the sensory details of the story. However, Death is not sinister and he is very unobtrusive. The reader is not always aware of him because much of the story is seen through Liesel’s, the book thief’s, eyes. Death finds her story in the rubble from the bombing of Munich and is recounting it. Most of all, it is about survival; the survival of people in the first instance, but it is also a reflection on the survival of books despite efforts to eradicate them, and of words too in the face of a political system which makes everyone afraid of saying too much. It’s a haunting tale, a strange mixture of ugliness and beauty, of cruelty and kindness, heart-warming and heart-rending, full of vivid metaphor and an absolutely compelling read. It can be read on several levels and without a doubt will be enjoyed by adults as well as older teenagers.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

2006 - Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (South East Asia & South Pacific)

2006 - Horn Book Fanfare

2006 - Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award

2006 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

2006 - Daniel Elliott Peace Award

2006 - Publishers Weekly Best Children Book of the Year

2006 - Booklist ChildrenEditors' Choice

2006 - Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book

2007 - Boeke Prize

2007 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults

2007 - Michael L. Printz Honor Book

2007 - Book Sense Book of the Year

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

BOOKS FOR KEEPS review: “Within this powerful novel, the power of story is manifest when, for example, Liesel distracts her neighbours as they shelter from bombings, and where Max finds distraction from his basement hideout by creating stories. The Book Thief has much to say to thoughtful readers, young and old.”

INIS Children’s Books Ireland Magazine review: “This is a memorable piece of work - beautifully written, rich and poetic in language and peopled with wonderful characters.”

5. Connections

Read other books about WWII from both the point of view of the Nazis and the Jews

Write an alternative ending for the story

Write the story of Liesel’s parents

Discuss what stories would make them feel less scared if they were in a situation such as Liesel’s neighbors in the bomb shelter

Rules

1. Bibliography

Lord, Cynthia. 2006. RULES. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439443821

2. Summary

Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence. She tries to make her life more normal by giving her brother lots of rules to follow, but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic named Jason. . In the end, Jason helps Catherine see that her rules may really be excuses, opening the way for her to look at things differently.

3. Critical Analysis

Growing up with an autistic younger brother is not easy and it seems far harder when the pre-teen years hit. Catherine feels as though David’s needs far overshadow her own in the family but the embarrassment his behavior causes her is the worst of it. Nevertheless, Catherine understands what David’s world is like and when she snaps at him, she is beset by guilt. It is this sensitivity that allows her to befriend a boy her age with severe communication problems who is wheelchair-bound. Gaining a stronger sense of herself and demanding what she needs as a member of the family allows her to move beyond embarrassment into acceptance. One of the treats in this book is that David echoes words rather than generating his own and he frequently speaks in lines he remembers from Arnold Lobel’s Frog & Toad. The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships: Catherine experiences some of the same unease with Jason that others do in the presence of her brother. Catherine’s tentative relationship with her new neighbor Kristi is complicated further when she develops an unexpected friendship with Jason, a regular client at the clinic David visits for occupational therapy. Fourteen-year-old Jason travels in a wheelchair, and talks by pointing to word cards in his communication book. After a rocky start, the two become closer as Catherine creates new word cards for Jason’s book. Moving his repertoire beyond the stock words and phrases provided by his therapist, Catherine enables him to show some attitude and give voice to his adolescent sarcasm. Catherine likes Jason, but now she’s worried about what Kristi will think of him as well as David. Preferring to keep Jason a secret from Kristi, Catherine ends up falling short in the eyes of both her new friends when it comes to trust and honesty. As Catherine struggles to find her way into these new relationships, her feelings for her brother float realistically between frustration, embarrassment, love, protectiveness, and everyday sibling ups-and-downs. Her carefully constructed rules for David are really about her own need to feel in control, and to understand and live with a brother who is often misunderstood or teased by others. As the parent of an autistic child, Cynthia Lord writes with familiarity and empathy for Catherine and her family. Readers will sympathize with Catherine’s struggle to explain the world to David through his beloved rules and her frustration at his demanding, embarrassing behaviors and his garnering the majority of parental attention, combined with Jason’s expressive limitations, this book will provide considerable food for thought.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Buckeye Children's Book Award, 2008 Winner Grades 6-8 Ohio
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 2008 Winner Vermont
Great Stone Face Award, 2008 Winner New Hampshire
John Newbery Medal, 2007 Honor Book United States
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2008 Winner Grade 6-8 Kentucky
Maine Student Book Award, 2007-2008 Winner Maine
Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 2010 Honor Bok Massachusetts
Mitten Award, 2006 Winner Michigan
Schneider Family Book Award, 2007 Winner Middle School United States
Skipping Stones Honor Award, 2007 Winner Multicultural and International Awareness Books United States
Voice of Youth Award, 2009-2010 Third Place United States EXCERPTS -

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “This is a story that depicts the impact of a needy child on an entire family very realistically.”

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION review: “The first-person narrative is very engaging, and readers will identify with Catherine's struggles and cheer for her at the end. This is a great book to help students gain some understanding about autism, while also providing a good read.”

5. Connections

Have students consider what words they would require if they were in Jason’s position as well as what words they’d be likely to get if adults were their sole source. They could also write a list of words that they would add and reasons why.

Write a list of rules they would make for their younger brother or sister.

Discuss a situation in which they were embarrassed by someone they love and how they overcame it

Moon Over Manifest

1. Bibliography

Vanderpool, Claire. 2010. MOON OVER MANIFEST. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 9780385738835

2. Summary

Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past. Through the hot, dry days, Abilene searches for traces of her father in the town's history, some old letters, and a stack of newspapers from 1917. Abilene desperately wants to be with her father and will try anything to get him to Manifest.

3. Critical Analysis

The story is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and sometimes poignantly sad, but page after page, it is hard to put down. Ingeniously plotted and gracefully told, this father/daughter tale will resonate with any reader who’s ever wondered whether those old family stories really tell the whole truth. Prohibition and labor relations in the coal mining industry are interwoven with the current issues of 1936, particularly the ongoing Great Depression. Abilene and readers get so caught up in the past in this richly detailed, splendidly written novel that they easily make the transition between the Depression and WWI eras and long to learn more about the town that once was. Readers will love guessing how Abilene's dad fits into all the stories and townspeople's memories.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

John Newbery Medal, 2011 Winner United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

KIRKUS review: “Readers will love guessing how Abilene's dad fits into all the stories and townspeople's memories. The absolute necessity of story as a way to redemption and healing past wounds is at the heart of this beautiful debut, and readers will cherish every word up to the heartbreaking yet hopeful and deeply gratifying ending.”

THE BULLITEN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS review: “In this debut novel, Vanderpool creates a fictional town with a fully believable history, populated with characters as notable for their warmth as their eccentricity. Each member of the sprawling cast is so robustly developed that the summary list of characters from 1918 and 1936 provided by the author is hardly needed.”

5. Connections

Have students make predictions throughout the story as to who Jinx is, how Abilene is going to get her father to come to Manifest, etc.

Explore historical parts of the story more in depth such as World War I, the Spanish influenza, Prohibition, etc.)

Write an alternative scheme that Abilene could use to get her father to come to Manifest.

Rodzina

1. Bibliography

Cushman, Karen. 2003. RODZINA. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780440419938

2. Summary

In 1881, a twelve-year-old Polish American girl is boarded onto an orphan train in Chicago with fears about traveling to the West and a life of unpaid slavery. The hero of this lively historical novel, Rodzina, is a mean orphan, desperate for home, and her adult mentor is both as tough and as needy as the orphan child.

3. Critical Analysis

Twelve-year-old Rodzina's account of the journey to the West makes the dramatic history immediate. Cushman masterfully weaves period details into this must-read, set in early 1880's America. Through the first-person narrative, Rodzina's voice comes through loud and pugnaciously clear. Rodzina is an engaging heroine whose matter-of-fact narrative voice is by turns curious, resentful, humorous, and sad (“I cried myself to sleep so quietly that no one could hear. Not even me”); her memories of and longing for her dead parents and brothers are particularly moving. Historical fiction and orphan fans will find this a comfortable and informative read. The story is based on fact, as Cushman points out in an author's note, giving some facts about the benevolent societies who from 1850 to 1929 sent children to (it was hoped) happier, healthier lives in the Western United States. She also sketches the "placing out" of Native American children and the sending of children to safety from Hitler in Europe. Cushman talks about the history in a lengthy final note, and she includes a bibliography of other orphan train books.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Society of School Librarians International Book Awards, 2003 Honor Book Language Arts-Grades K-6 Novels United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

THE BULLITEN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS review: “Historical fiction and orphan fans will find this a comfortable and informative read, while social studies teachers may find it useful as a read-aloud that touches on city life vs. rural life, westward expansion, and ethnic, class, and gender inequalities.”

KIRKUS review: “The story is undemanding and engaging, rolling along with the journey, subtly letting readers into Rodzina's memories of the home she once had and of her immigrant parents and her Polish heritage.”

5. Connections

Use as a read-aloud to explore the aspects of westward expansion, women’s rights, and slavery.

Discuss how Rodzina feels throughout the book and why she might have the personality she does due to her circumstances.

Discuss what qualities you might want in an adopted family and if you agree or disagree with Rodzina’s opinion of the families that she meets along her journey.

Follow up by reading other books and exploring the websites mentioned by Cushman at the end of the book.

Discuss city life vs. rural life, westward expansion, and ethnic, class, and gender inequalities

One Crazy Summer

1. Bibliography

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: Amistad. ISBN 9780060760885

2. Summary

In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

3. Critical Analysis

Even though One Crazy Summer is set during the late 1960s, this is a story that today’s teen girls are likely to relate to on several different levels. The confusion of beginning to like boys, the complicated relationships with parents and siblings, and the innate responsibility that girls easily take for their younger brothers and sisters are all obstacles that the main character Delphine faces and overcomes. On a broader level, it gives a unique perspective of a part of history not often seen in youth literature. The Black Panther aspect is thought-provoking, adding depth to the theme of Delphine’s family situation. The natural writing makes this a smooth read from start to finish, and the characters and situations are realistic. The historical details throughout the book do not seem forced; rather, they lend authenticity to the setting, and the portrayal of the Black Panthers breaks with the harsher stereotypes. Rita Williams-Garcia’s fresh, funny novel resonates with depth and meaning that comes through the brilliant characterizations, sparkling dialogue, and a stunningly realistic recreation of a time and place in a story that concludes with a surprising, yet wholly satisfying resolution. Modern young readers will find it interesting to read about the conflicting views of the African-American community at that time. They certainly will be intrigued by the plight of these three children who are caught up in the major issues of that time, made all the more poignant by the insightful first-person narrative of this precocious young girl.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2011 Winner Author United States
John Newbery Medal, 2011 Honor Book United States
National Book Award, 2010 Finalist Young People's Literature United States
Parents' Choice Award, 2010 Gold Fiction United States
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2011 Winner United States - REVIEW EXCERPTS -

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “The author has probably drawn a realistic picture of life in a disjointed family; she surely has shown us that things are not always easy. The characters are so real that one can see them.”

KIRKUS review: “The depiction of the time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page.”

5. Connections

Discuss the book from one of the character’s point of view (preferably not Delphine, the main character)

Complete a character analysis on Delphine, comparing her initial feelings of moving in with her mother for the summer and how she feels at the end of the summer.

Read other books about the Black Panther movement in the 1960’s

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

1. Bibliography

Jenkins, Steve & Page, Robin. 2003. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS? Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-25628-8

2. Summary

What would you do with a nose like an elephant or feet like a gecko? Enter the animal world and explore how lizards squirt blood from their eyes, and crickets have ears on their knees. This book explores some strange tails, eyes, noses, ears, feet, and tails in the animal kingdom. There is a picture glossary at the back shows each animal again with an informative note elaborating on the creature's special adaptation.

3. Critical Analysis

This book will interest any animal lover through its vibrant paper-cut collages jump, crawl and swim off the page. Curiosity is peaked with a double-page spread gives the reader a snippet of an animal part from five different creatures. Each creature is then revealed on the following page along with what they do with that body part. If you still want to know more just look in the back of the book for interesting facts and information about each animal. The text of the book is anatomically informative, and the white background helps emphasize the particular feature in the illustrations. The provocative questions and answers of the text are supported by attention grabbing, stunning collage illustrations that are sure to get anyone interested in animals.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Charlotte Zolotow Award, 2004 Highly Commended United States
Garden State Children's Book Award, 2006 Winner Non-Fiction United States
Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2004 Honor Book United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “Edges manage to capture hair, fur, feathers, carapaces, exoskeletons, and the different textures of an animal's outside with uncannily accurate depictions. This is one of those cases where collage seems just right for the subject and its many nuances. The informational aspect of the book is further enhanced with a substantive paragraph, at the book's conclusion, of information about each of the thirty animals mentioned.”

KIRKUS review: “Visual surprises abound: a field cricket's ears are actually on its legs; a horned lizard can (and does, here) squirt blood from its eyes as a defense mechanism; in an ingenious use of page design, a five-lined skink's breakable tail enters and leaves the center gutter at different points. Capped by a systematic appendix furnishing more, and often arresting, details-"A humpback whale can be 50 feet long and weigh a ton per foot"-this array of wide eyes and open mouths will definitely have viewers responding with wide eyes and open mouths of their own.”

5. Connections

Use in science to discuss adaptations

Create your own “What would you do with…” featuring different animals

Explore the uses of the 5 senses

Use to discuss similarities and differences between creatures

Read other books by Jenkins such as Slap, Squeak, and Scatter: How Animals

Communicate