Bibliography
Kinney, Jeff. 2007. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York, NY. Amulet Books. ISBN 9780810982925.
Plot Summary
Greg Heffley chronicles his sixth-grade year as he and his best friend Rowley seek middle school immortality. Greg is determined to raise his popularity and improve his image in the new school year, but seems to stumble at every turn. Following failed attempts at joining the wrestling team, performing in the school play, and drawing cartoons for the school paper, a case of mistaken identity drives a rift into the boys’ friendship. Greg continues his quest alone and eventually an encounter with a moldy piece of cheese re-kindles Greg and Rowley’s friendship.
Critical Analysis
Kinney portrays Greg as a self-centered sixth-grader determined to make his mark on middle school. Greg blames all of his problems on others and believes everything is fine, as long as he isn’t the one in trouble. Essentially, he is an average 11-year-old boy. Accurately and hilariously written as Greg’s journal, complete with hand-printed style font and simple black and white drawings, the overall effect is a true glimpse into a year in the life of Greg Heffley. His adventures reflect the classic middle school experience and Greg is “every student.”
Kinney delights his audience with tales of Greg’s failed attempts at running for student government office and trying to “bulk up” for the wrestling team, all the while illustrating Greg’s egocentricity and lack of social skill. Greg may never achieve immortality, but he does lose a friend, earning the friendship back only when he finally accepts the blame for something he didn’t do – along with the dreaded “cheese touch.” In the end, though, Greg never does seem to realize his past mistakes. Hopefully, clever readers will recognize the error of Greg’s ways and note how not to make friends.
Review Excerpts
Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly: Greg's mother forces him to keep a diary ("I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn't say 'diary' on it"), and in it he loosely recounts each day's events, interspersed with his comic illustrations. Kinney has a gift for believable preteen dialogue and narration (e.g., "Don't expect me to be all 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that"), and the illustrations serve as a hilarious counterpoint to Greg's often deadpan voice.
From School Library Journal: His attempts to prove his worthiness in the popularity race (he estimates he's currently ranked 52nd or 53rd) are constantly foiled by well-meaning parents, a younger and older brother, and nerdy friends. While Greg is not the most principled protagonist, it is his very obliviousness to his faults that makes him such an appealing hero.
Connections
Keep a journal for a week.
Choose one of Greg’s mis-adventures and share what you would have done differently.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Review of RULES by Cynthia Lord
Bibliography
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. New York, NY. Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439443822.
Plot Summary
Twelve-year-old Catherine is standing at the edge of a summer ripe with possibilities: a new neighbor moving in next door, and a new friend in an unexpected place. While joining her mother and her brother David for his visits to an occupational therapist, Catherine meets Jason. Jason is confined to a wheelchair and only able to communicate by pointing at words and pictures in a book. Still, a friendship blooms during their brief visits in the clinic waiting room.
Then Catherine meets Kristi, her sure-to-be-popular new neighbor and her summer is off. But within everything, is David. Eight year-old David is autistic and Catherine just wants a normal life. In an attempt to reach normal, Catherine keeps a list of rules for David in the back of her sketchbook: “You can yell on a playground, but not during dinner. A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts.” She struggles to help David learn the rules and balance her new friendships. When Kristi suggests that Catherine invite Jason to a dance, Catherine is torn, afraid her new, and old, friends will make fun of Jason. In the end, Catherine breaks her own rule and learns that sometimes you simply have to accept life as it is.
Critical Analysis
Cynthia Lord takes us on a journey through the world of disabilities, as seen through the eyes of a family member. She reaches into the heart of the middle school quest for normalcy and fear of difference and reminds us that, “Sometimes, you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.” As Catherine attempts to help her brother David learn the rules of life, she struggles with her own rules. She clearly loves and cares for David, but also worries deeply about how others see him, and as a result, her family. It is this concern for appearances and desire to fit in that will resonate with young readers.
When Catherine meets Jason in the therapy clinic waiting room, she must explore her concerns from a new perspective. She didn’t get to choose her brother, but what will her friends think if she invites Jason, in his wheelchair, to the dance? Lord honestly portrays Catherine’s turmoil through-out the story, as well as her new-found strength when she finally reaches her decision.
While exploring Catherine’s ambivalence, Lord never leaves the reader questioning Catherine’s love for David. Through-out the book, they share lines from Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad stories in their own language and following their rules: “If you don’t have the words you need, borrow someone else’s.” and “If you need to borrow words, Arnold Lobel has some good ones.” In the end Catherine realizes that she may never find a “normal” life, but what she has can be enough.
Awards and Reviews
Newbery Honor Book
From School Library Journal: Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak.
From Booklist: 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.
Connections
Read another book about someone with a disability and compare the experiences and events included.
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. New York, NY. Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439443822.
Plot Summary
Twelve-year-old Catherine is standing at the edge of a summer ripe with possibilities: a new neighbor moving in next door, and a new friend in an unexpected place. While joining her mother and her brother David for his visits to an occupational therapist, Catherine meets Jason. Jason is confined to a wheelchair and only able to communicate by pointing at words and pictures in a book. Still, a friendship blooms during their brief visits in the clinic waiting room.
Then Catherine meets Kristi, her sure-to-be-popular new neighbor and her summer is off. But within everything, is David. Eight year-old David is autistic and Catherine just wants a normal life. In an attempt to reach normal, Catherine keeps a list of rules for David in the back of her sketchbook: “You can yell on a playground, but not during dinner. A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts.” She struggles to help David learn the rules and balance her new friendships. When Kristi suggests that Catherine invite Jason to a dance, Catherine is torn, afraid her new, and old, friends will make fun of Jason. In the end, Catherine breaks her own rule and learns that sometimes you simply have to accept life as it is.
Critical Analysis
Cynthia Lord takes us on a journey through the world of disabilities, as seen through the eyes of a family member. She reaches into the heart of the middle school quest for normalcy and fear of difference and reminds us that, “Sometimes, you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.” As Catherine attempts to help her brother David learn the rules of life, she struggles with her own rules. She clearly loves and cares for David, but also worries deeply about how others see him, and as a result, her family. It is this concern for appearances and desire to fit in that will resonate with young readers.
When Catherine meets Jason in the therapy clinic waiting room, she must explore her concerns from a new perspective. She didn’t get to choose her brother, but what will her friends think if she invites Jason, in his wheelchair, to the dance? Lord honestly portrays Catherine’s turmoil through-out the story, as well as her new-found strength when she finally reaches her decision.
While exploring Catherine’s ambivalence, Lord never leaves the reader questioning Catherine’s love for David. Through-out the book, they share lines from Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad stories in their own language and following their rules: “If you don’t have the words you need, borrow someone else’s.” and “If you need to borrow words, Arnold Lobel has some good ones.” In the end Catherine realizes that she may never find a “normal” life, but what she has can be enough.
Awards and Reviews
Newbery Honor Book
From School Library Journal: Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak.
From Booklist: 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.
Connections
Read another book about someone with a disability and compare the experiences and events included.
A Review of HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff
Bibliography
Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I Live Now. New York, NY. Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 038590908X.
Plot Summary
As war looms around the world, 15-year-old New Yorker Daisy is sent to spend the summer with family she has never met in the English countryside. Sent away for a variety of reasons, Daisy quickly falls into the pattern of farm life amongst her dead mother’s family. When her aunt travels to Norway to help with the “Peace Process,” the cousins expect to enjoy a short time with only 16-year-old Osbert in charge. Life changes quickly and permanently though, when “The Enemy” attacks London, severing it from the outside world. Soon “The Enemy” has occupied England, but Daisy and her cousins “didn’t really care.” They continue to live a quiet life on the farm, enjoying their freedom. When the British Army sequesters the family home for quarters, the children are separated and sent to other families. As events escalate, Daisy and nine-year-old Piper work to return home, hoping to find Osbert, Isaac, and Daisy’s love Edmond on the way. What they do find are the horrors of war and an empty farm. Suddenly, Daisy finds herself back in New York longing for her life on the farm.
Critical Analysis
Rosoff voices Daisy in a way only a teenaged girl can speak – quickly and with infrequent punctuation. While the voice rings true, the lack of properly punctuated dialogue quickly becomes annoying, and occasionally confusing. Still, the story is engaging and the action moves at a quick pace. Daisy wastes no time in becoming romantically involved with her cousin Edmond. While the romance, and Edmond’s apparent mind-reading abilities, does provide an interesting twist, the incestuous nature of the relationship is troubling. Also troubling is Daisy’s struggle with anorexia, made even more so by Daisy’s admission that she starves herself not just to be thin, but to manipulate those around her. While the plot does keep the reader involved and Rosoff’s descriptions of the atrocities of war are frighteningly accurate, the incestuous relationship does not outweigh the writing skill.
Awards and Reviews
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2004
Michael L. Printz Award 2004
From Publisher’s Weekly: Teens may feel that they have experienced a war themselves as they vicariously witness Daisy's worst nightmares. Like the heroine, readers will emerge from the rubble much shaken, a little wiser and with perhaps a greater sense of humanity.
Connections
Research the experiences of people living in occupied countries and experiencing sequestration of their homes.
Rosoff, Meg. 2004. How I Live Now. New York, NY. Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 038590908X.
Plot Summary
As war looms around the world, 15-year-old New Yorker Daisy is sent to spend the summer with family she has never met in the English countryside. Sent away for a variety of reasons, Daisy quickly falls into the pattern of farm life amongst her dead mother’s family. When her aunt travels to Norway to help with the “Peace Process,” the cousins expect to enjoy a short time with only 16-year-old Osbert in charge. Life changes quickly and permanently though, when “The Enemy” attacks London, severing it from the outside world. Soon “The Enemy” has occupied England, but Daisy and her cousins “didn’t really care.” They continue to live a quiet life on the farm, enjoying their freedom. When the British Army sequesters the family home for quarters, the children are separated and sent to other families. As events escalate, Daisy and nine-year-old Piper work to return home, hoping to find Osbert, Isaac, and Daisy’s love Edmond on the way. What they do find are the horrors of war and an empty farm. Suddenly, Daisy finds herself back in New York longing for her life on the farm.
Critical Analysis
Rosoff voices Daisy in a way only a teenaged girl can speak – quickly and with infrequent punctuation. While the voice rings true, the lack of properly punctuated dialogue quickly becomes annoying, and occasionally confusing. Still, the story is engaging and the action moves at a quick pace. Daisy wastes no time in becoming romantically involved with her cousin Edmond. While the romance, and Edmond’s apparent mind-reading abilities, does provide an interesting twist, the incestuous nature of the relationship is troubling. Also troubling is Daisy’s struggle with anorexia, made even more so by Daisy’s admission that she starves herself not just to be thin, but to manipulate those around her. While the plot does keep the reader involved and Rosoff’s descriptions of the atrocities of war are frighteningly accurate, the incestuous relationship does not outweigh the writing skill.
Awards and Reviews
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2004
Michael L. Printz Award 2004
From Publisher’s Weekly: Teens may feel that they have experienced a war themselves as they vicariously witness Daisy's worst nightmares. Like the heroine, readers will emerge from the rubble much shaken, a little wiser and with perhaps a greater sense of humanity.
Connections
Research the experiences of people living in occupied countries and experiencing sequestration of their homes.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A Review of THE SEER OF SHADOWS
Bibliography
Avi. 2008. The Seer of Shadows. New York. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060000165.
Plot Summary
Scientific and rational Horace Carpetine lives in New York in 1872 and serves as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, society photographer. When Middleditch sees dollar signs in the eyes of a mother who has lost her child, Horace begins to question his role as apprentice and the photographer’s morals. After Middleditch photographs the distraught mother in her home, Horace finds ghostly images of the departed daughter appearing in the pictures. In his quest to uncover the cause of the images, Horace is befriended by the family’s serving girl, Pegg. Soon, he is caught up in a supernatural mystery causing him to question all of the rational teachings of his father. Fighting everything he has been raised to believe, Horace faces the spirit of the lost daughter and unearths the cause of her unrest.
Critical Analysis
Written in the formal, educated manner one would expect from an adult of the latter nineteenth century, fourteen year-old Horace’s tale unfolds quickly and draws the reader into the mystery of Eleanora Von Macht’s death. The story reads as one which the author has long-awaited telling and his relief at doing so is palpable. Avi, writing as Horace in memoir, fills the story with characters that all children know exist, even if only in stories: the earnest and eager young apprentice, the greedy tradesman, the “grieving” mother, and the distraught friend seeking justice; then wraps them in a veil of ghostly mystery.
Set in New York in 1872, Avi describes the city in such a way that it materializes around Horace and Pegg as they navigate the streets. Moving quickly into the mystery surrounding Eleanora’s death, Pegg slowly reveals details as she grows to trust Horace. Horace soon realizes his talent for seeing the departed, along with Eleanora’s desire for vengeance. As the young team races to assuage Eleanora’s spirit and help her find rest, Horace, and the reader find that not everything can be explained rationally and sometimes one must just believe what is seen.
Always returning to the photography that unleashes the vengeful Eleanora, Avi does not shy from allowing Horace to explain the processes and continue to practice his trade. Fans of photography will enjoy the attention to detail within these descriptive passages.
Awards and Reviews
Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly - An intriguing ghost story. Details about photographic processes add authenticity, while the book’s somber ending will leave spines tingling.
From Kirkus Review - This tale proves that the time-honored ghost story, capably researched, well-paced and fusing the Gothic elements of mystery, madness and romance, can still thrill in the hands of a skilled craftsman.
Connections
Share your favorite ghost story with a friend.
Research Nineteenth Century apprenticeships and what kinds of trades were learned.
Avi. 2008. The Seer of Shadows. New York. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060000165.
Plot Summary
Scientific and rational Horace Carpetine lives in New York in 1872 and serves as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, society photographer. When Middleditch sees dollar signs in the eyes of a mother who has lost her child, Horace begins to question his role as apprentice and the photographer’s morals. After Middleditch photographs the distraught mother in her home, Horace finds ghostly images of the departed daughter appearing in the pictures. In his quest to uncover the cause of the images, Horace is befriended by the family’s serving girl, Pegg. Soon, he is caught up in a supernatural mystery causing him to question all of the rational teachings of his father. Fighting everything he has been raised to believe, Horace faces the spirit of the lost daughter and unearths the cause of her unrest.
Critical Analysis
Written in the formal, educated manner one would expect from an adult of the latter nineteenth century, fourteen year-old Horace’s tale unfolds quickly and draws the reader into the mystery of Eleanora Von Macht’s death. The story reads as one which the author has long-awaited telling and his relief at doing so is palpable. Avi, writing as Horace in memoir, fills the story with characters that all children know exist, even if only in stories: the earnest and eager young apprentice, the greedy tradesman, the “grieving” mother, and the distraught friend seeking justice; then wraps them in a veil of ghostly mystery.
Set in New York in 1872, Avi describes the city in such a way that it materializes around Horace and Pegg as they navigate the streets. Moving quickly into the mystery surrounding Eleanora’s death, Pegg slowly reveals details as she grows to trust Horace. Horace soon realizes his talent for seeing the departed, along with Eleanora’s desire for vengeance. As the young team races to assuage Eleanora’s spirit and help her find rest, Horace, and the reader find that not everything can be explained rationally and sometimes one must just believe what is seen.
Always returning to the photography that unleashes the vengeful Eleanora, Avi does not shy from allowing Horace to explain the processes and continue to practice his trade. Fans of photography will enjoy the attention to detail within these descriptive passages.
Awards and Reviews
Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly - An intriguing ghost story. Details about photographic processes add authenticity, while the book’s somber ending will leave spines tingling.
From Kirkus Review - This tale proves that the time-honored ghost story, capably researched, well-paced and fusing the Gothic elements of mystery, madness and romance, can still thrill in the hands of a skilled craftsman.
Connections
Share your favorite ghost story with a friend.
Research Nineteenth Century apprenticeships and what kinds of trades were learned.
A Review of NUMBER THE STARS
Bibliography
Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. New York. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395510600.
Plot Summary
Best friends Annemarie and Ellen live in Copenhagen during the German Occupation. Passing German troops on their way home from school is a daily occurrence. As the Danish Resistance learns of plans to “relocate” Denmark’s Jewish population, Annemarie’s family shelters Ellen as one of their own. Escaping the midnight raids, Annemarie and Ellen, along with Annemarie’s mother and sister Kirsti, head for the fishing village of Mama’s youth. Not sure why they are there or how long they might stay, the girls suddenly find themselves in the midst of the Danish Resistance operation to smuggle most of the Jewish population of Denmark into Sweden. Annemarie discovers her own role in the operation and faces her fears to see her task to completion.
Critical Analysis
Annemarie Johansen is ten years old. She tells her five-year-old sister stories of kings and queens in their palaces, but overhears her parent’s talk of the Danish Resistance. Caught between wanting to make-believe and knowing their lives will never be the same, Annemarie is forced to grow up quickly. As she tells the story of two families caught in the German occupation of Denmark, Lowry captures the bravery and heroism even the youngest can possess.
Looking through Annemarie’s eyes, we see Nazi soldiers everywhere: on every street corner, in the train station, even on the train as they help her Jewish best friend, Ellen Rosen, escape. Through her eyes we also see the beauty of Copenhagen and her memories of better times. But, in true childhood fashion, she takes all of the changes in stride and adjusts as necessary. As her family helps the Rosen family in their escape, Annemarie realizes the gravity of the situation but never shies away from what must be done – even thinking to help remove Ellen’s Star of David pendant when Nazi soldiers come knocking on the door.
Lowry keeps the plot progressing quickly, never allowing time for the reader to grow bored. Shortly after the family’s arrival in Gilleleje, the true nature of the family’s involvement in the Rosens’ escape becomes apparent, and Annemarie’s bravery is tested. Throughout the story, Lowry portrays Annemarie as exactly what she is: a resilient ten-year-old in an unimaginable situation, but one who handles events in spite of her fear.
Lowry’s characters are completely fictional, but the events around them are true occurrences. In her afterword, she reminds us of that fact. She also reminds us that the story of Denmark must call us to dream of a future of full of human decency.
Awards and Reviews
Newbery Medal Winner
From School Library Journal - The gripping story of a ten-year-old Danish girl and her family's courageous efforts to smuggle Jews out of their Nazi-occupied homeland to safety in Sweden. Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery.
Connections
Research the Danes who fled the German raids and those who assisted them.
Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. New York. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395510600.
Plot Summary
Best friends Annemarie and Ellen live in Copenhagen during the German Occupation. Passing German troops on their way home from school is a daily occurrence. As the Danish Resistance learns of plans to “relocate” Denmark’s Jewish population, Annemarie’s family shelters Ellen as one of their own. Escaping the midnight raids, Annemarie and Ellen, along with Annemarie’s mother and sister Kirsti, head for the fishing village of Mama’s youth. Not sure why they are there or how long they might stay, the girls suddenly find themselves in the midst of the Danish Resistance operation to smuggle most of the Jewish population of Denmark into Sweden. Annemarie discovers her own role in the operation and faces her fears to see her task to completion.
Critical Analysis
Annemarie Johansen is ten years old. She tells her five-year-old sister stories of kings and queens in their palaces, but overhears her parent’s talk of the Danish Resistance. Caught between wanting to make-believe and knowing their lives will never be the same, Annemarie is forced to grow up quickly. As she tells the story of two families caught in the German occupation of Denmark, Lowry captures the bravery and heroism even the youngest can possess.
Looking through Annemarie’s eyes, we see Nazi soldiers everywhere: on every street corner, in the train station, even on the train as they help her Jewish best friend, Ellen Rosen, escape. Through her eyes we also see the beauty of Copenhagen and her memories of better times. But, in true childhood fashion, she takes all of the changes in stride and adjusts as necessary. As her family helps the Rosen family in their escape, Annemarie realizes the gravity of the situation but never shies away from what must be done – even thinking to help remove Ellen’s Star of David pendant when Nazi soldiers come knocking on the door.
Lowry keeps the plot progressing quickly, never allowing time for the reader to grow bored. Shortly after the family’s arrival in Gilleleje, the true nature of the family’s involvement in the Rosens’ escape becomes apparent, and Annemarie’s bravery is tested. Throughout the story, Lowry portrays Annemarie as exactly what she is: a resilient ten-year-old in an unimaginable situation, but one who handles events in spite of her fear.
Lowry’s characters are completely fictional, but the events around them are true occurrences. In her afterword, she reminds us of that fact. She also reminds us that the story of Denmark must call us to dream of a future of full of human decency.
Awards and Reviews
Newbery Medal Winner
From School Library Journal - The gripping story of a ten-year-old Danish girl and her family's courageous efforts to smuggle Jews out of their Nazi-occupied homeland to safety in Sweden. Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery.
Connections
Research the Danes who fled the German raids and those who assisted them.
Bibliography
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. Elijah of Buxton. New York. Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439023440.
Plot Summary
Born to escaped slaves, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman is the first free-born child in the Canadian settlement of Buxton. Curtis shares tales of Elijah’s daily life, including school, chores, friends, and Elijah’s amazingly accurate talent for “chunking” rocks. Eventually, Elijah ventures into the United States in an attempt to recover stolen funds intended to buy a family’s freedom. Elijah overcomes his tendency to being “fra-gile” and rises to the challenge of the occasion.
Critical Analysis
Drawing characters so believable that I can hear their voices echoing in my head, Curtis populates the real-life settlement of Buxton, Canada with fictional former slaves and their freeborn children in an engaging portrait of life outside of slavery in 1860. Told by eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman and written in the vernacular, the language adds to the development of the characters and their lives. At 338 pages, the plot is a bit slow in developing with the first half of the book consisting mainly of vignettes of daily life; however, these vignettes establish for the reader a clear understanding of the hardships faced as escaped slaves make their way to Buxton, as well as the everyday trials of its inhabitants. They also clearly illustrate character traits critical to the climax of the story.
As the story nears its climax, Elijah and his friend Mr. Leroy embark on a mission to find the duplicitous Preacher and the pilfered funds needed to buy Mr. Leroy’s family out of bondage. But, Elijah suddenly finds himself alone and in danger. Already convinced that he is not as “fra-gile” as his parents might believe, Elijah finally has the chance to prove his capabilities. In a move worthy of all children eager to stretch their wings, Elijah faces tough decisions and takes action to right wrongs.
According to the author’s note, while much of the story is fiction, many of the details are based on actual events and former slaves’ stories. Curtis also incorporates contemporary heroes when Elijah, as the first free-born child in Buxton, welcomes Frederick Douglass and John Brown, who actually did visit the settlement, although at separate times. Calling Buxton “an inspiration,” Curtis strongly encourages the reader to visit the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum where visitors can experience for themselves life in the 1860s.
Awards and Reviews
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Award Winner
Starred Review from Booklist - After his mother rebukes him for screaming that hoop snakes have invaded Buxton, gullible 11-year-old Elijah confesses to readers that "there ain't nothing in the world she wants more than for me to quit being so doggone fra-gile."
Connections
Research the Underground Railroad and present a description of what one might find at a “stop” on the road to freedom.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. Elijah of Buxton. New York. Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439023440.
Plot Summary
Born to escaped slaves, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman is the first free-born child in the Canadian settlement of Buxton. Curtis shares tales of Elijah’s daily life, including school, chores, friends, and Elijah’s amazingly accurate talent for “chunking” rocks. Eventually, Elijah ventures into the United States in an attempt to recover stolen funds intended to buy a family’s freedom. Elijah overcomes his tendency to being “fra-gile” and rises to the challenge of the occasion.
Critical Analysis
Drawing characters so believable that I can hear their voices echoing in my head, Curtis populates the real-life settlement of Buxton, Canada with fictional former slaves and their freeborn children in an engaging portrait of life outside of slavery in 1860. Told by eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman and written in the vernacular, the language adds to the development of the characters and their lives. At 338 pages, the plot is a bit slow in developing with the first half of the book consisting mainly of vignettes of daily life; however, these vignettes establish for the reader a clear understanding of the hardships faced as escaped slaves make their way to Buxton, as well as the everyday trials of its inhabitants. They also clearly illustrate character traits critical to the climax of the story.
As the story nears its climax, Elijah and his friend Mr. Leroy embark on a mission to find the duplicitous Preacher and the pilfered funds needed to buy Mr. Leroy’s family out of bondage. But, Elijah suddenly finds himself alone and in danger. Already convinced that he is not as “fra-gile” as his parents might believe, Elijah finally has the chance to prove his capabilities. In a move worthy of all children eager to stretch their wings, Elijah faces tough decisions and takes action to right wrongs.
According to the author’s note, while much of the story is fiction, many of the details are based on actual events and former slaves’ stories. Curtis also incorporates contemporary heroes when Elijah, as the first free-born child in Buxton, welcomes Frederick Douglass and John Brown, who actually did visit the settlement, although at separate times. Calling Buxton “an inspiration,” Curtis strongly encourages the reader to visit the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum where visitors can experience for themselves life in the 1860s.
Awards and Reviews
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Award Winner
Starred Review from Booklist - After his mother rebukes him for screaming that hoop snakes have invaded Buxton, gullible 11-year-old Elijah confesses to readers that "there ain't nothing in the world she wants more than for me to quit being so doggone fra-gile."
Connections
Research the Underground Railroad and present a description of what one might find at a “stop” on the road to freedom.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Review of DOGS by Seymour Simon
Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 2004. Dogs. Harper Collins. New York. ISBN 0060289430.
Plot Summary
“The domestic dog is the most popular pet in the world,” is the statistic that opens Simon’s volume on dogs. He provides an overview of dog breeds and characteristics, including their highly sensitive sense of smell. Next he moves on to the birth and development of puppies. Simon continues with the traits of sporting and non-sporting dogs, eventually ending with how to go about acquiring and caring for a pet dog.
Critical Analysis
A well-known name in children’s informational books, Seymour Simon provides his usual succinct and well-organized delivery for younger readers. Simon uses full-color photographs of a variety of dogs to complement his easy-to-read text on all things dog. Children of all ages will enjoy flipping through the pictures while browsing the plethora of information. Browsing is simplified through the use of succinct summaries of doggy behavior on each page and easily-understood terms for his younger audience: “Dogs don’t use words the way people do. Dogs use different sounds…to express their feelings.” Typically straight-forward, Simon closes with a reminder to readers that owning a pet requires much responsibility as he outlines the many duties necessary for a dog owner.
Reviews
From Booklist - There are other books about these popular pets, but most are for older children. Here, Simon writes crisply for a young audience, who will eagerly turn the pages to see the next endearing color photograph.
Connections
·Invite students to research further and investigate specific dog breeds that they might like to own.
·Invite students to read another Seymour Simon book on their favorite topic.
Simon, Seymour. 2004. Dogs. Harper Collins. New York. ISBN 0060289430.
Plot Summary
“The domestic dog is the most popular pet in the world,” is the statistic that opens Simon’s volume on dogs. He provides an overview of dog breeds and characteristics, including their highly sensitive sense of smell. Next he moves on to the birth and development of puppies. Simon continues with the traits of sporting and non-sporting dogs, eventually ending with how to go about acquiring and caring for a pet dog.
Critical Analysis
A well-known name in children’s informational books, Seymour Simon provides his usual succinct and well-organized delivery for younger readers. Simon uses full-color photographs of a variety of dogs to complement his easy-to-read text on all things dog. Children of all ages will enjoy flipping through the pictures while browsing the plethora of information. Browsing is simplified through the use of succinct summaries of doggy behavior on each page and easily-understood terms for his younger audience: “Dogs don’t use words the way people do. Dogs use different sounds…to express their feelings.” Typically straight-forward, Simon closes with a reminder to readers that owning a pet requires much responsibility as he outlines the many duties necessary for a dog owner.
Reviews
From Booklist - There are other books about these popular pets, but most are for older children. Here, Simon writes crisply for a young audience, who will eagerly turn the pages to see the next endearing color photograph.
Connections
·Invite students to research further and investigate specific dog breeds that they might like to own.
·Invite students to read another Seymour Simon book on their favorite topic.
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