Module 15: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Citation
Alexie, S.  (2007).  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  New York: Little Brown.

Summary
Readers learn the story of painfully awkward Arnold Spirit in this partially autobiographical account of Sherman Alexie's youth.  Blessed with cognitive abilities but limited by the resources of the Spokane Reservation, Spirit decides to attend school twenty-two miles away in Reardan, Washington.  Considered a traitor to the Spokanes and not accepted by the whites of Reardan, Spirit finds himself uncomfortably trapped between two cultures while he flourishes academically, excels at basketball, and forms tentative friendships.  At once tragic and comic, Alexie's lyrical prose details Spirit's life at home, the colorful characters of his communities, and major plot lines that culminate with the sentiment, "Love and death."

Impressions
This book deserves every bit of its National Book Award.  It hasn't made an impression on me; it has imprinted my perspective with its perceptiveness regarding human nature, an unforgettable mentality of poverty, its hilarity, and its pathos.  Its candor regarding the private life and colorful language of a 14-year-old boy aside (inextricable from the character of Arnold Spirit), this is a book that I plan to give as a gift to my sister and maybe even to my father.  I will recommend it to my son, who will be 14 this August.  One of my favorite lines: "We are all five years old in the presence or absence of our parents." So much beauty and pain and laughter and crying, all mixed up together without stooping to maudlin clichés or conventions.

This definitely ranks as one of the best books I've ever read -- but it is not for the faint of heart or squeamish regarding language or sexuality.  The story and its messages more than compensate for the mediation of a fourteen year old mind, and, in fact, that fourteen year old mentality really comprises a significant part of the story in all of its crudity, insight, big-heartedness, dorkiness, anger, ambition, and love.

I had read Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, too.  It contains another of my favorite lines: "I want to rasp into sober cryptology and say something dynamic but tonight is my laundry night."  Well done, Sherman Alexie!  Books like this make me grateful to be alive.

Review
Chipman, I.  (2007).  The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian [book review].  Booklist, 103(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. Grades 7-10

Suggestions for use
This is a tough one for this book.  Without a doubt, it merits a place in middle school libraries and up, but its content will render it an unfortunate target of challenges.  So how does a school librarian use such a book?  I would hate to draw undue attention to the more provocative elements of the book when, taken as a whole, it has so much to offer.  I could definitely see it as part of a "Banned Books" display for middle or high schoolers.  However, I guess I would like to see its capacity to get a reader to look outside of him or herself emphasized.  If I gave a book talk on this title, this is the aspect I would dwell upon: how would life/education/family be different if you were born on the Spokane Reservation?  Such an exercise is invaluable in developing a critical mindset that aids young people in developing empathy and a compass for understanding the world outside of themselves.  Books of the highest order attempt to give young adults this glimpse in human terms -- not speaking down to them, but through the lens of their perspective.  Sherman Alexie has endeavored to do this in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Module 14: Time You Let Me In

Citation
Nye, N.  (2010).  Time You Let Me In.  New York: Greenwillow.

Summary
Texan Naomi Shihab Nye has accumulated a sampling of poetry from 26 poets under 25 (she miscounted: originally, it was supposed to be 25 poets under 25 as it reads on the cover).  The poets give voice to a variety of experiences, from war to immigration to love. 

Impressions
I will confess that this book surprised me.  There are some extremely talented young writers out there: watch out, world!  In fact, as I was reading the poems, a wire tripped, and I felt motivated to write my own verse (which, for now, will stay with me).  My favorites in this book include the following:
1) "Pupil" by Brianne Carpenter; it deals with the famous National Geographic photograph of a green-eyed Afghan girl. 
2) "invitation" by Mackenzie Connellee; the author writes about writing poetry.
3) "To Be Two" by Amal Khan; this excellent selection concludes with an interesting reflection on binary code in relationship to human perception.
4) "Living with a Bodhisattva Cat is Intimidating" by Margaret Bashaar; the cat "destroys all my knitting to teach me about impermanence." 
If poetry is the verbal distillation of emotion or experience which I believe it to be then this selection ranks as poetry of the highest order.  I would definitely seek it out for a middle or high school library and promote it with gusto.  I'm considering buying my own copy, and I will probably visit the websites of some of the authors to tell them how much I enjoyed their work.

Review
Rochman, H.  (2010).  Time you let me in [book review].  Booklist, 106(9), 58.
Moderation can wait––plenty of time for that later,” says acclaimed poet and anthologist Nye. She knows how to reach teens, and this lively collection by young contemporary writers is rooted in the strong, emotional particulars of family, friendship, childhood memories, school, dislocation, war, and more; interestingly, there is almost no talk of sex or romance. The spare lines are passionate, wry, irreverent, and eloquent about meaning found in daily-life scenarios. One poet describes a meditative moment with her cat that “destroys all my knitting to teach me about impermanence.” Another prays for a soldier, a “ kindergarten best friend” who has returned from Baghdad. In several selections, immigrants remember their arrival in the U.S. In a brief, appended biography, one poet describes her draw to poetry: “Unresolved, uncomfortable, and sometimes repulsive moments of memory can be made somehow graceful through writing.” Teens will connect with the passionate, unmoderated feelings that are given clarity and shape in each poem. Grades 7-12 

Suggestions for Use
As we have discussed in class, sometimes poetry is analyzed ad nauseum, and I would hate to do to much with this book.  It needs to be read and appreciated in all of its unmediated beauty.  However, I think that this book could serve as inspiration for young people to write their own poetry.  Perhaps the librarian could sponsor a poetry festival for which students would write, (pre-)submit, and read their own work (with supervision from the librarian and/or administrators).  Personally, I would seek to have some of these poets come visit my school.  Bringing such young writers and poets into the school environment would have the effect of demystifying poets and encouraging creative verbal expression from students.

Module 13: American-Born Chinese

Citation
Yang, G.  (2006).  American-Born Chinese.  New York: First Second.

Summary
In this graphic novel, Yang weaves together three different stories: tales about the Chinese folk hero Monkey King, a boy named Jin Wang, and the adventures of "average" American Danny and his (deliberately) stereotyped Chinese cousin.  Monkey King aspires to be a god.  Jin Wang wants the attention of a pretty girl in his seventh-grade class.  Danny finds himself constantly embarrassed by his cousin, Chin-Kee.   Yang leads readers to reconsider whether these are three distinct stories or really all the same -- just like the Transformer Jin holds on the cover..."more than meets the eye."

Impressions
First of all, I was hard-pressed to decide between this book and Pyongang for my blog selection this week.  Pyongang's account of North Korea pains, disturbs, and fascinates me.  However, American-Born Chinese stole my heart and mind with its depiction of Jin (and other characters), its thoughtful illustration, and the twist of its conclusion.  The narrative and graphics work seamlessly in depicting the stories of Monkey, Jin, and Danny.  The son of Taiwanese immigrants, American-born Jin wishes to fit in with mainstream American culture, but he finds himself isolated and teased.  Suffice it to say that Jin uncovers the importance of embracing his own American-born Chinese life, and Yang's understated eloquence and humor in telling this compelling tale prompts readers to examine themselves, in turn.


Review
Karp, J.  (2006).  American-born Chinese [book review].  Booklist, 103(1), 114.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
With vibrant colors and visual panache, indie writer-illustrator Yang (Rosary Comic Book) focuses on three characters in tales that touch on facets of Chinese American life. Jin is a boy faced with the casual racism of fellow students and the pressure of his crush on a Caucasian girl; the Monkey King, a character from Chinese folklore, has attained great power but feels he is being held back because of what the gods perceive as his lowly status; and Danny, a popular high-school student, suffers through an annual visit from his cousin Chin-Kee, a walking, talking compendium of exaggerated Chinese stereotypes. Each of the characters is flawed but familiar, and, in a clever postmodern twist, all share a deep, unforeseen connection. Yang helps the humor shine by using his art to exaggerate or contradict the words, creating a synthesis that marks an accomplished graphic storyteller. The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination. Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2006, Roaring Brook/First Second, $16.95.

Suggestions for Use
This book deserves an honored spot in middle and high school libraries.  It could begin a thought-provoking discussion in an English or social studies class regarding stereotyping.  As secondary students are often struggling with their own identities, this book would provide insight into human motives for behavior.  For more advanced students, this book and Huckleberry Finn compared side by could provide an interesting discussion regarding stereotypes and humor in social commentary.

Module 12: Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith

Citation
Heiligman, D.  (2009).  Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith.  New York: Henry Holt.

Summary
Deborah Heiligman takes readers on a journey through the married life of Charles and Emma Darwin.  In particular, she chronicles the interplay of their great love for one another and their disagreement about faith: though far from a biblical literalist, Emma nonetheless adhered to faith in God through Jesus Christ; Charles, while respecting the beliefs of his wife and others, spent most of his adult life in wonder at the world but had difficulty reconciling himself with the idea of an omnipotent, caring, creating deity.  Through scientific discovery and journeys of faith, Charles and Emma had ten children together, three of whom survived into adulthood.  Heiligman draws out the "leap of faith" imagery throughout the text: even though Emma was the more religiously observant of the two, Charles made his own leaps of faith despite doubt and despair.  Heiligman scrupulously documents this biography.

Impressions
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite reads this semester.  Heiligman does a superlative job of narrating this love story; it reminds me very much of the interactions between John and Abigail Adams, substituting science and natural history for politics and government.  Charles Darwin, of course, penned The Voyage of the Beagle and, more famously, Origin of the Species, which set forth the principles of natural selection and evolution. His Descent of Man posits the existence of a common ancestor for great apes and humans.  Origin and Descent, in particular, challenged a literal view of the creation as told in Genesis; however, that was far from Darwin's goal in publishing his research.  He hemmed and hawed for decades testing, honing, and refining his arguments and submitting his writing to his wife and good friends for ideas and editing.  In her acknowledgements, Heiligman describes how attached she grew to the Darwins through her research.  I share this feeling after reading this wonderful book and sympathize with the honestly faithful Emma and the honestly doubting Charles.

One of the points I think Heiligman wishes to make, aside from simply telling a fabulous story, is that faith and science, like Charles and Emma, can walk hand in hand.  In my opinion, faith and science don't even have to agree to both be true.  I am a Christian.  I believe in God, a loving God who creates and sustains the world.  Like Charles' American friend Asa Gray in the book, I believe that God is big enough to encompass natural selection and evolution.  The God part can't be proved.  Natural selection and evolution are established scientific realities.  Faith and science answer questions (and I'm not even sure that they are all the same questions) by different means.

Could the Darwins see the marketing of footed fish (with "Darwin" written inside) and gobbling fish (the Christian ichthys symbol, eating the footed fish) signs for the backs of cars, I am sure they would be frightfully distressed.  According to his writing and to that of his wife (they penned thousands of notes to one another and other families; they both kept journals), Charles had no desire whatsoever to create controversy: he simply wanted to share what he observed to be true based upon decades of research and experimentation.  Often in frail health, Charles tended to be anxious and retiring, though by all accounts he was a devoted and attentive father and husband.  How sad, I think, that he has been vilified by some off and on since the publication of Origin.  Though sensitive and unconventional in some ways, honor-bound Charles generally epitomized the English gentleman, reluctant to upset the status quo. 

I cannot stress enough the fascinating nature of this account of the Darwins' life together.  Thought-provoking and endearing, this book challenges readers to reassess the balance of faith and science in their lives, to make room for disagreement without disparagement, and to wonder at the beauty and mystery of all creatures great and small. 

Review
Heath, E.  (2009).  Charles and Emma: The Darwins' leap of faith [book review].  School Library Journal, 55(1), 127.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost
Gr 8 Up-- Beginning with Darwin's notorious chart listing reasons to wed and not to wed, Heiligman has created a unique, flowing, and meticulously researched picture of the controversial scientist and the effect of his marriage on his life and work. Using the couple's letters, diaries, and notebooks as well as documents and memoirs of their relatives, friends, and critics, the author lets her subjects speak for themselves while rounding out the story of their relationship with information about their time and place. She shows how Darwin's love for his intelligent, steadfast, and deeply religious cousin was an important factor in his scientific work-pushing him to document his theory of natural selection for decades before publishing it with great trepidation. Just as the pair embodied a marriage of science and religion, this book weaves together the chronicle of the development of a major scientific theory with a story of true love. Published for young adults, this title will be equally interesting to adults drawn to revisit Darwin on his 200th birthday.

Suggestions for use
Darwin's work continues to be controversial, of course.  First of all, I wonder how wide a readership this book has attracted among young adults.  Secondly, I will have to research whether or not the book has been challenged in school libraries.

I think that this book could really prompt some thoughtful discussions in biology classes studying evolution.  I envision a collaborative unit with social studies teachers and science teachers working with the librarian to make this happen.  The humanity of the book's subjects puts face and flesh on what is often a polarizing topic.  The civility of the Darwins and Heiligman's simultaneously humorous and tragic relation of their life together frames a conversation regarding evolution squarely in its historical context and sets a conciliatory tone.

Module 11: An Egg Is Quiet

Citation
Aston, D. & Long, S.  (2006).  An Egg Is Quiet.  San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Summary
Aston's text and Long's illustrations give readers an idea of the incredible variation between egg colors and sizes.  The book covers the development of several of the creatures inside the eggs.  Eggs are quiet -- until they aren't!

Impressions

First of all, Happy Easter!  I read this book to a group of preschoolers this week, and they were captivated by its basic text (the primary narrative of the book is written in cursive); factual details accompany randomly the illustrations on two-page spreads.  I pointed out some of those details as we read along.  Aside from the greatly detailed, vividly colored illustrations, one of the things I enjoy about this book and Aston's A Seed Is Sleepy is that it is easy to tailor the book to an audience.  Adults and older readers (and some younger children) can enjoy many of the little details, but oral presenters can include as many or as few of the details as fit the audience and situation.


Review
An Egg Is Quiet [book review].  (2006).  Kirkus Reviews, 74(6), 286.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Worthy successor to Ruth Heller's Chickens Aren't The Only Ones (1981), this engrossing album pairs images of dozens of precisely detailed eggs and their diverse wild parents to basic facts presented in neatly hand-lettered lines. Nearly all depicted actual size (and those that aren't, are consistently so labeled), Long's eggs look real enough to pick up, whether placed in natural settings or suspended on white pages. All, whether from birds, insects, reptiles, fish or amphibians, are not only identified, but Aston adds both topical phrases-"Eggs come in different sizes"-to each spread and, usually, memorably presented additional facts: "An ostrich egg can weigh as much as 8 pounds. It's so big and so round, it takes two hands to hold one egg." A delight for budding naturalists of all stripes, flecks, dots and textures. 2006, Chronicle, 36p, $16.95. Category: Picture book/nonfiction. Ages 6 to 9. Starred Review. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.


Suggestions for Use
I can think of multiple uses for this book.  It would make a gorgeous book display during the spring and around Easter.  However, the naturalist-leaning pictures prompt me to think of presenting this book to children with like books, perhaps accompanying it by some of Audubon's illustrations or The Boy Who Drew Birds.  In collaboration with the teacher, the librarian could encourage students to create their own illustrative booklets.  At my sons' elementary school, Dragon Press is the campus publisher for books.  Sometimes nonfiction is overlooked in this endeavor.  Perhaps this and student-created naturalist notebooks could reverse this trend, too.  This exercise could prompt a basic lesson in attribution, as well, as students learn to cite their sources if they add factual text.

Book Trailer 3: The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair

Book Trailer 2: Esperanza Rising

Book Trailer 1: The War to End All Wars

Module 10: One Crazy Summer

Citation
Williams-Garcia, R.  (2010).  One Crazy Summer.  New York: Scholastic.

Summary
Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern live with their father and Big Ma in Brooklyn.  During the summer of 1968, their father decides that the girls should visit their mother, Cecile, in Oakland, CA.  Cecile left the family seven years earlier, just after seven-year-old Fern had been born.  Hardly a figure of nurturing motherhood, poet Cecile bars the girls from her kitchen and sends them to get Chinese food for supper or to have breakfast at the People's Center.  Run by the Black Panthers, the People's Center provides a day camp for children where Delphine and her sisters spend most of their vacation and learn about justice, injustice, assertiveness, and revolution.  Furthermore, Cecile, known as Nzila (Inzilla to the girls, at first!) has a connection to this much-vilified group of militants.  Though the unrest and political climate of 1968 play an indispensable role in the novel's action, the primary plot centers around the unconventional relationship of the girls to their mysterious mother and their attempt to connect.

Impression
Williams-Garcia skillfully endears readers to her three young heroines.  Personally, I could find many elements of Delphine's character with which I could personally identify.  However, one of the most fascinating aspects of this book lies in the characterization of Cecile.  At first, the girls want to go home; I, too, wanted to be far away from this unpleasant person in the first half of the book.  As the story progresses, however, I find myself drawn to Nzila with compassion and sympathy.  While Williams-Garcia does not let Cecile off the hook as a mother, she very convincingly portrays a young woman who fell in over her head by having three daughters before she could rightly care for herself.  By the story's conclusion, I wanted to hug her, too.

In addition, I have been prompted by this book to research more about the Black Panthers and their role in the Civil Rights movement.  After my preliminary findings, I would be hard pressed to say that its founder, Huey Newton, aspired to the same moral high road that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., pursued (whatever their personal indiscretions); he seems to have had little compunction against inflicting physical harm to attain a political end.  However, the Black Panthers' insistent demand for justice and firm commitment to empowering African-American people and communities has made a lasting mark in American society for the better.
  
Review
Engberg, G. (2010).  One crazy summer [book review].  Booklist, 106(11), 61.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Starred Review* Eleven-year-old Delphine has only a few fragmented memories of her mother, Cecile, a poet who wrote verses on walls and cereal boxes, played smoky jazz records, and abandoned the family in Brooklyn after giving birth to her third daughter. In the summer of 1968, Delphine’s father decides that seeing Cecile is “something whose time had come,” and Delphine boards a plane with her sisters to Cecile’s home in Oakland. What they find there is far from their California dreams of Disneyland and movie stars. “No one told y’all to come out here,” Cecile says. “No one wants you out here making a mess, stopping my work.” Like the rest of her life, Cecile’s work is a mystery conducted behind the doors of the kitchen that she forbids her daughters to enter. For meals, Cecile sends the girls to a Chinese restaurant or to the local, Black Panther–run community center, where Cecile is known as Sister Inzilla and where the girls begin to attend youth programs. Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion. Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love. Grades 4-7

Ideas for Use
Without a doubt, I would use this book in a middle school book display concerning Civil Rights, social justice, or the 1960's, mixed with nonfiction offerings.  I would also use this book in studying the different approaches that King, Malcom X, Cesar Chavez, and the Black Panthers (among others) pursued in extending the boundaries of democratic ideals in America.  

Module 9: The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery

Citation
Springer, N.  (2006).  The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery.  New York: Philomel.

Summary
Enola Holmes, much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock, faces the mysterious disappearance of her mother on her birthday.  The chauvinistic Holmes brothers, long estranged from the artistic, ciper-loving Mrs. Holmes, arrive at their ancestral home ready to make Enola into a proper Victorian young lady and to pack her off to finishing school.  Though hurt by their attitude, Enola makes her own clever escape and divines from her mother's cryptic birthday gifts a wish to provide her daughter with a certain amount of freedom and independence foreign to most Victorian females.  In the process, she solves the mystery of a pampered young boy's disappearance from his estate.  Far from being a passive heroine, intelligent, sensitive, and observant Enola -- "alone" spelled backwards -- carves out her own feminine identity with spirit and aplomb despite the limits of Victorian society's expectations for upper-class women.

Impressions
Oh, how I love this book and cannot wait to read others in the series!  I have long been a fan of Sherlock, regardless of his disparaging comments about the female intellect and capacity for reason.  I have also enjoyed Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books, in particular.  The puzzle of mysteries and challenge of teasing them out excites me as a reader, as it has since I picked up my first Nancy Drew in first grade.  Far from buying Sherlock's perspective, I contend that the often highly-intuitive abilities of women bring a lot to the mystery-solving table.  Nancy Springer's invention of Enola Holmes gives brilliant voice to gender roles in Victorian society, challenges the stuffy Mycroft and Sherlock, and provides readers with a spunky, yet vulnerable character who deciphers her mother's puzzles and her own inner workings.

Review
Gray, A., et al.  (2006).  The case of the missing marquess: an Enola Holmes mystery [book review].  School Library Journal, 52(2), 137-138.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Gr 4-8-- In what is hopefully the start of an exciting new series, Missing Marquess features the intriguing, much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Enola was a late-life baby, causing something of a scandal in society. Her rather vague mother is a 64-year-old widow who disappears on Enola's 14th birthday. It takes the girl a short time to realize that her mother left her some ciphers that indicate why she went away and how she is faring. The teen reluctantly enlists the services of her adult brothers, who quickly determine that Lady Holmes has been padding the household accounts for years. When they decide that their sister belongs at a boarding school, Enola escapes and heads for London dressed as a widow. There she is able to solve a mystery involving the disappearance of young Viscount Tewksbury. She decides to stay in the city, adopting a number of disguises, and become a "Perditorian," or finder of lost things or people. Springer focuses a great deal on the restrictions placed on Victorian females by showing how unusual Enola's bravery and common sense are, even as she often struggles with conventional reactions. She wants her brothers' affection, or indeed anyone's, but knows that a socially accepted life will strictly limit her freedom and learning. Enola's loneliness, intelligence, sense of humor, and sheer pluck make her an extremely appealing heroine who hopefully will one day find the affection for which she so desperately longs.

Suggestions for use
This would be an excellent book to use in late elementary classrooms and libraries.  One use of the book would be to incorporate Enola's capacity for writing and solving ciphers into an interdisciplinary lesson: students read the book as a class and then devise their own code or cipher.  Then, students exchange these ciphers with each other and attempt to solve the codes.  Perhaps the Navajo Code Talkers could be an added dimension to this lesson as part of an integrated unit.

Module 8: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Before formally reviewing my selection for this week, I would like to say that I also took this as an opportunity to read Twilight.  I was torn between giving yet more attention to what I believe is an understandably popular but comparatively weak work of fiction and reviewing one of the other, wonderful books I had the privilege to read this week.  I chose the latter.


Citation
Pearson, M.  (2008).  The Adoration of Jenna Fox.  New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Summary

In this futuristic novel, Jenna Fox has survived a terrible car wreck in which two of her friends died.  At the age of 17, she has moved to small-town California from her lifetime home in Boston, a fact her parents explain away by telling her she needs a quieter place to recover after being in a coma for over a year.  Jenna's father heads up a biotech firm; with her grandmother's help, Jenna discovers that her miraculous survival has everything to do with her father's business, much to her horror.  Only 10% of her brain actually survived the wreck; the rest of her has been reconstructed -- minus two inches of height.  Jenna struggles with the implications of this survival, the presence (or absence) of a soul, parental expectations, new friends, and fear of being discovered by the government's agency concerning bioethics.

Impressions
Author Mary Pearson has written a fascinating, thoughtful, and challenging book.  Her depiction of Jenna, her parents, and her grandmother rings true despite its futuristic setting.  Set in the middle of the 21st century, her liberties with time and science are not unfathomable, rendering the book all the more believable.  Nanobots are currently a hot issue in biotechnology; characters discuss past controversies regarding the over-prescription of antibiotics, drug-resistant pathogens, and the money and influence of pharmaceutical companies which prompted, around the turn of the millennium, the establishment of the Federal Sciences Ethics Board (FSEB).

I sincerely enjoyed this book and its exploration of the subjects involved.  Jenna's complex boyfriend, Ethan, helps weave a strain of Thoreau throughout the novel -- exploring what it means to "suck the marrow out of life."  Jenna's earthy grandmother, Lily, provides a foil to her loving, but perfection-oriented parents, Matthew and Claire; one of the conclusions of the book is that "Faith and science...are two sides of the same coin, separated by an expanse so small, but wide enough that one side can't see the other.  They don't even know they're connected.  Father and Lily were two sides of the same coin, I've decided, and maybe I am the space in between" (p. 263).  Pearson has attempted to plumb foreseeable questions raised by biomedical developments, but in doing so, she skillfully communicates the humanity (no matter what percent) and complexity of her characters.

Review
Gallagher, G.  (2008).  The adoration of Jenna Fox [book review].  Library Media Connection, 27(3), 79.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma and finds she has lost a year of her life. Her memories of her life before the accident are barely a whisper and she has to learn how to be Jenna Fox all over again. Her mother gives her video recordings to watch, one for each year of her life, and it is clear that Jenna has been her parents’ whole world. As she gets stronger, she senses that something is very wrong. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as, through this first-person narrative, Jenna unravels her own mysteries. The California setting is brilliantly created as a future that has enough connection to present-day issues and events that it makes readers believe it all just might be possible. The questions raised surrounding bioethics, what makes us human, and the potential direction of science and medicine lend themselves perfectly to classroom discussions in both science and civics. Jenna’s voice will appeal to all readers, even those who don’t typically read science fiction. The book’s Web site has a trailer to share with reluctant readers which, along with the beautiful cover, should have them hooked. Highly Recommended. 2008, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 272pp., $16.95 hc. Ages 12 to 18.

Suggestion for use
As someone who would like to see literature used across the curriculum, this would be a fabulous book to read for a biology class.  Were I a secondary librarian, I would promote this book among biology teachers as an excellent discussion starter regarding bioethics.  Even more ideally, English teachers and biology teachers could collaborate upon a unit regarding this book.  In groups, students could research nanobots, drug-resistant streptococcal bacteria, stem cells, transplantation, drug companies, etc. and provide short presentations to their biology classes regarding these issues while reading this book in English classes.  Teachers could lead discussions prompting students to think about the possible implications or future effects of these current issues in relationship to the plot of The Adoration of Jenna Fox.

Module 7: As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth

Citation

Perkins, L.  (2010).  As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth.  New York: Greenwillow.

Summary

On the way to a summer camp, Ry misses his train in the middle of Montana.  His grandfather, taking care of the dogs at home, has fallen into a sinkhole in Wisconsin.  His parents are sailing around the Caribbean.  Ry walks to the nearest town and meets Del, a middle-aged jack-of-all-trades.  Ry and Del embark on a cross-country and international adventure to find Ry's family.  The story culminates when Ry and Del sail to St. Jeroen, Del injures himself riding a windmill, and Ry must make the last leg of the trip to find his parents alone.

Impressions

I had very high expectations for this story after reading Lynne Rae Perkins' Criss Cross.  Despite moments of brilliance, such as when Del and Ry hitch a ride with escaped elderly Carl in an Oldsmobile, this story somehow misses its mark for me.  I would not say that it lacks a plot, but the plot rambles along with "an unusually large number of things going wrong."  I liked the book, but I did not feel a strong kinship with the characters.  In retrospect, they have grown on me.  However, the illustrations of this book, so well-integrated into Criss Cross, seemed to break its flow rather than to enhance it. 

Review

Chipman, I.  (2010).  As easy as falling of the face of the earth [book review].  Booklist, 106(16), 45.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

Starred Review* Sixteen-year-old Ry opens a letter en route to a summer program informing him that camp has been canceled because “a statistically improbable number of things have gone wrong.“ He hops off the train in Montana to figure out what to do, and his own series of improbable misfortunes begins—the train moves on without him (but with all his stuff), leaving him alone with a dying cell phone in the precise middle of nowhere. Oh, and one of his shoes just floated off down a river. He befriends a man named Del, who figures there’s nothing he can’t fix (when it comes to other people’s problems, anyway). They set off on a cross-country road trip to get Ry back home and then, due to any number of minor and major catastrophes, to an island in the Caribbean. Ever-placid Del and milquetoast Ry make for affable traveling companions, but the real pleasure is Perkins’ relentlessly entertaining writing. She dabbles just on the clever side of intruding on the narrative, and she infuses her prose with more personality than many could squeeze out of an entire cast. The knock against her Newbery-winning Criss Cross (2006) was a lack of plot, and although a lot of things happen here, it would be a stretch to call this leisurely novel plot-driven. The point is that it doesn’t matter, and wallowing in the wry humor, small but potent truths, and cheerful implausibility is an absolute delight. Grades 8-11

Suggestions for Use

I could see this book as being one part of an interdisciplinary unit.  The travels would be interesting and fun to map out as a class.  This could lead to discussion about traveling, internally and externally.  How do Del and Ry change on their trip?  What trips have students made that changed them or gave them a new perspective?  Why?

Module 7: The Other Half of My Heart

Citation
Frazier, S.  (2010).  The Other Half of My Heart.  New York: Delacorte Press.
 
Summary
The daughters of an African-American mother and white father, Minni and Keira are twin sisters from Port Townsend, WA.  However, shy, animal-loving Minni's skin is light enough to pass as white; outgoing, athletic Keira's skin is dark, like her mother's.  After an opportunity arises for the girls to compete in the Black Pearl competition in North Carolina, they have the opportunity to visit their African-American grandmother and discover their identity beyond the color of their skin.

Impressions
I sincerely enjoyed this book and its characterization of Minni, Keira, their parents, their socially conscious grandmother, and Ms. Oliphant, her neighbor.  Frazier's sensitive exploration of race, family, and belonging prompts the reader to consider these issues, beginning with a scene in which the girls choose dresses for the competition: Minni is encouraged to make herself at home in the dress shop, but the owner scolds Keira for doing the same thing.  They begin to fear that their different skin color will divide them not only socially, but also personally.  Frazier's depiction of Ms. Oliphant makes me want to sit down at her table for hot chocolate. 

Review

Cruze, K.  (2010).  The other half of my heart [book review].  Booklist, 106(22), 55.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Starred Review* The idea of being a twin has built-in appeal—a sibling who has almost identical experiences of the world can be an instant BFF. That ideal informs the lives of sisters Minni and Keira, but the differences between the biracial siblings may be vaster than they’d like to think, because Minni’s coloring is white like their father’s, while Keira’s is black like their mother’s. During the summer when the girls turn 11, awareness of how they’re perceived is driven home when a storekeeper in their home state of Washington has a widely disparate reaction to the girls’ browsing through fancy dresses. Later, when the girls visit their prickly maternal grandmother in North Carolina and compete in a beauty contest for African Americans, Minni feels she is the focus of skeptical attention. Not only does Frazier raise questions worth pondering but her ability to round out each character, looking past easy explanations for attitude, is impressive. She also leavens the whole with easy humor and builds suspense over the pageant itself. Will the talented and outgoing Keira win the prize? Will Minni be able to overcome her shyness and shine? A novel with a great deal of heart indeed, from the winner of the John Steptoe New Talent Award for Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It (2007). Grades 4-6

Suggestions for Use

Upon considering this novel, I began to think of other books which explore this concept.  Puddin' Head Wilson came to mind, as did Zora and Me, which I recently read for this class.  I also enjoyed The Green Book recently -- a Bluebonnet selection for 2012-2013.  Because it explores the concept of race from 2010, I think that this book would be a great fifth grade introduction to the Civil Rights struggle.   Minni and Keira visited Raleigh's African American Museum of History and Civil Rights.  Perhaps students could be encouraged to research, identify, visit, and report upon local landmarks for their town's own civil rights historic places.

Module 6: January's Sparrow

When composing this blog, I had the most difficult time choosing which book to review.  I would like to mention The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, and Little Pea with the respect and honor that these books deserve, as well.  History lover that I am, I decided to go with what was, for me, the most compelling of stories.

Citation
Polacco, P.  (2009).  January's Sparrow.  New York: Philomel.

Summary
Unwilling residents of the Giltner Plantation in Kentucky, Sadie Crosswhite and her family have taken in January Drumm, a young man sold from his mother when he was young.  After January attempts to run away, Giltner has him cruelly beaten and left for dead by his overseers.  This, in combination with a plan to sell Sadie's brothers off, prompts the Crosswhite family to flee the plantation via the Underground Railroad.  They end up in Marshall, Michigan, where they settle somewhat uneasily; the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, should officials choose to enforce it, dictates that even runaway slaves in free states must be returned to their owners.  The community of Marshall rises up to protect the Crosswhites when Giltner's cronies show up, and the Crosswhites have the unexpected gift of being reunited with January, who had carved a beautiful little sparrow for Sadie back on the plantation.

Impression
I could not put this book down. Prefaced by January's point of view, this story hooked me through its depiction of the courageous Crosswhite family.  While slavery and Jim Crow fast recede into the past, the importance of remembering "man's inhumanity to man" (in the words of Robert Burns)  in the United States as an historic reality strikes me as vital to the preservation of freedom for all.  In fact, National Public Radio carried a piece this week about the groundbreaking for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.  Both President Obama and (Librarian!) former First Lady Laura Bush were present, demonstrating bipartisan support for its establishment.  The piece stated that it will not be long until veterans of the Civil Rights struggle and people who remember drinking from "colored" water fountains have departed this world.  While I enjoyed the illustrations in general, I would agree with Rochman below who said that the "characters' expressions in the colored-pencil-and-marker artwork sometimes overstate and simplify the complex emotions in the words."  However, I suppose that one could say equally that the emotions depicted speak of raw and visceral feelings unsuited to understatement.  Still, I can't help but feel that the luminous illustrations of E.B. Lewis (whose illustrations of Langston Hughes' The Negro Speaks of Rivers leave me dazzled and inspired) might be better suited to Polacco's well-turned words.  As Hamlet might say, "'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd."

Review
Rochman, H.  (2009).  January's sparrow.  Booklist, 106(4), 52.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Told from the viewpoint of Sadie Crosswhite, a young child who was born into slavery, this dramatic picture book is based on true events that took place in Marshall, Michigan, near where Polacco lives today. The narrative begins with shocking brutality on a Kentucky plantation: Sadie and her family watch while her foster brother, January, is whipped and kicked to death for trying to escape to freedom. With the threat of being auctioned off, the family members run away that night, bound for Canada, and the unframed pictures show their journey on the Underground Railroad, pursued by the slave catchers with savage dogs, until they find shelter in Marshall. Will they be safe there? Are there spies? Sadie goes to school and makes friends, but then the slave catchers come, and so does a surprising visitor. The characters’ melodramatic expressions in the colored-pencil-and-marker artwork sometimes overstate and simplify the complex emotions in the words. Still, Sadie’s first-person narrative, in modified dialect, captures the terror, excitement, and hope of the powerful history. Grades 3-6

Suggestion
Without a doubt, this picture book would be well-suited to an older audience.  Though Rochman's recommendation right spans grades 3-6 as a start, I could see this book being used with even older audiences in American history classes.  Kenneth Clark famously said, "History is ourselves," but so often the personal stories become lost in the saga of "big events."  Bringing slavery and the experience of a runaway family on the Underground Railroad down to the personal level of the Crosswhite family makes it more attainable and less likely to be dismissed categorically.  I would suggest this book for an introductory read-aloud to American history classes (in Texas, taught in 5th, 8th, and either 9th or 11th grades) for units relating to slavery, abolition, and the Civil War.  Older audiences might be more interested in delving into how causes of the Civil War were varied and the reasons for fighting even more so, but how the existence of slavery in the States truly created "a house divided."

Module 5: Zora and Me, Coretta Scott King citation, 2011

Citation
Bond, V. & Simon, T. R.  (2010).  Zora and Me.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary

Carrie and her friend, Zora Neale Hurston, thrive in the close-knit community of Eatonville, Florida, true childhood home of the well-respected writer of Their Eyes Were Watching God and recorder of oral history.  Zora's imagination and storytelling figure prominently in the novel, full of legend and mystery of the Gator King and a grisly murder; Carrie, whose father left the family for reasons unknown, struggles with grief and loss.  Racial identity, family dynamics, imagination, storytelling, and loss all find their way into this story.  Bond and Simon have collaborated on a captivating and resonant novel for junior high students and up.

Impression
I sincerely enjoyed this novel, and I can certainly see why it won the award for promising new talent.  I have to admit that I was skeptical going into the reading of this story, for I remain a fan of Zora Neale Hurston and had a difficult time imagining how the authors would render her childhood self.  The book skillfully provides a sense of place, and its characters became real to me through the authors' adept narration.  The following quote really touched me:

"The bad things that happen to you in life don't define misery -- what you do with them does.  When Mr. Pendir and Gold could have chosen connection, they chose solitude; when they could have brought loving themselves to loving someone else, they wore masks and shunned love's power.  You can't hide from life's pain, and folks that love you would never expect you to."

I feel that Zora Neale Hurston would be pleased.

Review
Rochman, H.  (2010).  Zora and me [book review].  Booklist, 107(4), 64.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost
Told in the immediate first-person voice of 10-year-old Carrie, Zora Neale Hurston’s best childhood friend, this first novel is both thrilling and heartbreaking. Each chapter
is a story that evokes the famous African American writer’s early years in turn-of-the-last-century Eatonville, Florida, and the sharp, wry vignettes build to a climax, as Carrie and Zora eavesdrop on adults and discover secrets. Family is front and center, but true to Hurston’s work, there is no reverential message: Carrie mourns for her dad, who went to Orlando for work and never came back; Zora’s father is home, but he rejects her for being educated and “acting white,” unlike her favored sister. Racism is part of the story, with occasional use of the n-word in the colloquial narrative. Like Hurston, who celebrated her rich roots but was also a wanderer at heart, this novel of lies and revelations will reach a wide audience, and some strong readers will want to follow up with Hurston’s writings, including Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). The novel’s back matter includes a short biography of Hurston, an annotated bibliography of her groundbreaking work, and an endorsement by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust. —Hazel Rochman

Suggestions for use
This book would be a fascinating read in conjunction with Their Eyes Were Watching God (if so, this pairing would be for 9th grade and up, the material of the latter being more mature).  For middle schoolers, this book would be an excellent springboard into the life and work of Hurston, one of the most influential and important American writers of the 20th century.  It would certainly be an excellent book to feature for a display during Black History Month, but I would say that its heroines deserve to be compared with Scout Finch.  In fact, reading Zora and Me in conjunction with To Kill a Mockingbird would be a fabulous study in the depiction of race, dialect, and place.  I could see this book as being a part of such a comparative study for advanced middle schoolers.

Module 5: Jellicoe Road, Michael L. Printz Award, 2007

Citation
Marchetta, M.  (2006).  Jellicoe Road.  New York: HarperTeen.


Summary
Jellicoe Road tells the story of boarding school student Taylor Markham, interspersed with snippets from the fragmented past of her guardian, Hannah Schroeder.  The novel, written by Australian Marchetta, ties together the present and past stories with abundant twists and turns.  The somber and tragic tone of the story is offset, at times, by dry teenage humor.  The mystery of Taylor's abandonment by her mother, somehow bound up with Hannah's own story, unravels through an adventure with her boyfriend, Jonah Griggs.  

Impression
This book very squarely falls into the category of young adult fiction, for its language, mild sexual content, and heavy -- and I mean heavy -- subject matter.  A horrific car wreck on Jellicoe Road results in the deaths of 5 people: two sets of parents and a sister.  The three surviving children form bonds with two other individuals, one who helped them out of the wreckage.  Depression, suicide, arson, and drug addiction (rendered sympathetically but with negative consequences) all comprise major elements of the plot.  A subplot involving a serial killer seemed a little over-the-top considering all of the other stuff going on in the book.

All in all, I found this to be an interesting and compelling story.  I do have to say that I felt that the plot and action were rather heavy-handed (in addition to being heavy in content) at times.  Overall, I really liked the book and felt a great deal of sympathy for the edgy characters.

Review
Adams, L.  (2007).  Jellicoe Road [book review].  Horn Book Magazine, 84(6), 708.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

"Two tragic stories—one past, one present—come together in this carefully constructed novel set in the Australian bush. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Markham has just been made leader of the Jellicoe School’s “Underground” during the annual territory wars with the townies and the cadets. Taylor arrived at the school at age eleven when her mother dumped her at the local 7-11 and she was taken in by Hannah, voluntary caretaker of the school’s neediest students. Interspersed with war maneuvers, negotiations, and Taylor’s hotly charged meetings with cadet leader Jonah Griggs are excerpts from Hannah’s unfinished novel about three teenaged survivors of a horrific car wreck on Jellicoe Road years earlier. The three survivors, and the lifelong bonds they formed with the townie who rescued them and the cadet who befriended them, have everything to do with Taylor; together with broken memories of life with her drug-addicted mother and dream visits from a mysterious boy, Hannah’s story helps Taylor piece together the truth about her past and determine who she will become. Despite grief piled on grief in the personal histories of the characters, they are all firmly bound by friend- ship and love. Suspenseful plotting, slowly unraveling mysteries, and generations of romance shape the absorbing novel."

Suggestions for use  
I would recommend this title for high school collections.  It would be a difficult book to use for anything cutesy or creative: the plot is simply too heavy, and it deserves more sophisticated treatment.  I could see a librarian using this book for a lively and interesting book club discussion.  A comparison between Jellicoe Road and The Hunger Games would be interesting, though the settings are obviously different.  I see similarities between the female protagonists, Taylor and Katniss.  Both are tough characters on the outside trying to survive impossible circumstances.

Module 4: Criss Cross, Newbery 2006

Citation
Perkins, L.  (2005).  Criss Cross.  New York: Greenwillow Books.

Summary
Lynne Rae Perkins' Criss Cross tells the story of Debbie, Hector, and Lenny, three junior-high students, as they tackle the hurdle of identity during adolescence.  Their three stories weave in and out of the narrative, only to coalesce finally at a neighborhood luau with the reappearance of Debbie's necklace.  The book contains Perkins' own pen-and-ink illustrations.

Impression
First of all, I loved this book and its subtle humor (a passage on the sanitary napkin industry, for example, made me laugh until my sides ached).  Perkins has a knack for communicating poignant moments without being maudlin.  The imagery, analogies, and keen observations she incorporates into Criss Cross will stay with me as examples of excellent writing.  However, what lingers with me after reading this book is Perkins' characters.  Debbie, Hector, Lenny, their friends, and their acquaintances are rendered with care.  Perkins paints even the neighborhood jock, Dan Persik, with shades of complexity as he plays with girls' hearts, steals the attention of Hector's crush, insensitively occupies bus seats, and forthrightly makes a man who lost his legs during war feel comfortable at a bus stop.  The way that the characters try to connect with one another -- sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, but always trying -- communicates a deep and resonant humanity which will touch the heart and mind of willing readers.

Review
Hepperman, C.  (2005).  Criss cross [book review].  Horn Book Magazine, 81(5), 585-586.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Catching fireflies in a jar, fourteen-year-old Debbie (first met in Perkins’s spectacular debut novel All Alone in the Universe, rev. 9/99) watches the bugs’ “glow parts go on and off,” appeasing her guilt over capturing them by convincing herself that “once they were free, their small, basic brains
would . . . have no memory of being imprisoned.”
Perkins’s wonderfully contemplative and relaxed yet captivating second novel, again illustrated with her own perfectly idiosyncratic spot art, is a collection of fleeting images and sensations—some pleasurable, some painful, some a mix of both—from her ensemble cast’s lives. Like All Alone in the Universe, the story is set in a 1970s small town, but teen readers won’t have to be aware of the time period to feel connected to Debbie, Hector, Lenny, and the rest as the third-person narrative floats back and forth between their often humorous, gradually evolving perspectives. The book’s title refers to a radio show that the neighborhood teens listen to on Saturday evenings; on a thematic level, it also refers to those barely perceptible moments of missed communication between a boy and a girl, a parent and a child, when “something might have happened” but didn’t. In keeping with Perkins’s almost Zen-like tone, such flubbed opportunities are viewed as unfortunate but not tragic. “Maybe it was another time that their moments would meet.” Like a lazy summer day, the novel induces that exhilarating feeling that one has all the time in the world.

Suggestions for Use
I must say that I am hard-pressed to say how this book should be "used" in the library setting.  It is the sort of book which deserves to be savored in some cozy spot.  It would definitely be a book I would highlight in a display showcasing more recent Newbery winner.  I would find some student readers to pioneer a reading of this book and get their reviews on it, as well.  I could see it figuring prominently in a book club discussion of the effectiveness of illustrations in novels.  I think it might be fun for students inclined to do so to verbally sketch out an event in their own lives and to provide accompanying illustrations in the same style.

Module 4: Caddie Woodlawn, Newbery 1936

Citation
Brink, C.  (1935).  Caddie Woodlawn.  New ed., 1973.  New York: Macmillan Publishing.

Summary
Eleven-year-old Caddie Woodlawn struggles with what it means to be a girl and grow into a woman on the frontier of Wisconsin during the Civil War.  Told through a series of stories, this tale primarily relates the adventures and misadventures of Caddie and her two closest brothers, Tom and Warren.  It delves into the complex relationship of settlers to Native Americans of the area, including a sympathetic, if not politically correct, character by the name of Indian John with whom the Woodlawns enjoy mutual respect.

Impression
As I referenced in my discussion post, this is one of those books that I had wanted to read for many years and have finally had "practical" enough excuse to do so.  What a marvelous work of American literature!  Comparisons with Laura Ingalls Wilder are inevitable; I read Wilder's books voraciously as a child and young adult.  Though I still love and will always love tales of Laura, her books feel less introspective than this little volume.  Perhaps this is just a function of having so many volumes to tell her story, which covers many years.  However, Brink's story, based upon her own grandmother's childhood experiences, provided this reader with yet another positive female protagonist, full of spirit, spunk, and compassion.  Her relationship with her siblings and parents is characterized skillfully and lovingly.  I strongly recommend this book for any collection, as its themes and characters are timeless, while the story itself is set in an interesting time in American history.

Review
Jaffke, K.  (2007).  Caddie Woodlawn [webpage].  From Wisconsin Kids Paper Dolls: A Learning Resource from WisHis for Kids website.  Retrieved from http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/kids/dolls/caddie/reviews.htm

Excerpt:
My favorite part of the book was when Caddie used her entire silver dollar to buy things such as a comb, candy, and other goodies for three small children who did not have a mother. This was a very unselfish thing for Caddie to do. She was being very kind and a good friend to those little children.
I wouldn't change any part of this book. I enjoyed this whole book and found it to keep my interest for the entire time. I would recommend it to my friends because it was an exciting book that showed how life was in the 1860's from a 11 year old's perspective. Caddie was very different from other children, especially different from other girls. She made this book very entertaining and kept me connected. I always wanted to come back and read what exciting adventures that Caddie would have next.

Suggestions for Use

This book certainly lends itself well to read-alouds.  However, I think that an interesting way to use the book would be to create an American frontier-themed evening for families in the library.  Children could be encouraged to dress as their favorite characters from the American frontier.  The librarian would promote Caddie, the Little House books, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, and many other books chronicling life on the frontier.  The American diary series would be good selections, as well.  Perhaps families with Native American heritage could share their experiences and perspectives.  I would envision this event as taking place in February, when we celebrate Presidents' Day.  Abraham Lincoln himself represents part of the mythology of the American frontier, and his birthday would tie in well to such an evening.