Stella by Starlight and Boxers & Saints

**These posts originally appeared on a Historical Fiction for Youth discussion board for my Children's Literature Class**

Title: Stella by Starlight
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Genres and themes: juvenile fiction, historical fiction, regional fiction, southern fiction, female African American protagonist, diverse reads, racism

Stella lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Unfortunately, the beauty of the surrounding landscape is marred by a burning cross one night when Stella and, her brother, Jojo stumble across a secret Klan meeting. It’s 1932 during the heart of the Jim Crow era and little Stella has not been immune to the racism of the era (she was slapped in the face when she was five years old for accidentally bumping into the town’s doctor). She and the rest of the children in the African American section of Bumblebee, NC, attend a separate school from the white children. Riverside School is a one-room schoolhouse that often receives “leftovers” such as raggedy books from the fancier, whites-only school, Mountain View. Healthcare services are also segregated, which Stella unfortunately found out during a medical emergency.

Despite the harsh social environment, Stella loves school even though she is not the best, straight-A student. Stella loves arithmetic but struggles with writing; she sneaks out of the house every night to practice her writing skills in private (I think this was Stella’s most impressive quality- the perseverance and discipline to improve a skill she was not naturally good at). Fortunately, for little Stella, she receives continual encouragement about her writing from her teacher, Mrs. Grayson, and her parents:

“You are an amazing thinker- a gemstone hiding inside a rock…What I’m reading here is thoughtful and beautiful, just like you are.”

“More like tangled, like my hair” (Draper, 2015, p.101).

At first Stella doesn’t know how to accept these compliments but after she is given a typewriter to practice her writing skills, and the bravery to type out her reactions, thoughts, and feelings to the events going on around her, we see her confidence bloom into the first steps of a budding journalist: “…words were starting to make sense. Bright, perfectly formed ideas smoldered in her mind” (Draper, 2015, p.102).

One of the most powerful scenes in the book occurs in Chapter 22, “Their Declaration of Independence,” when Stella’s father, Mr. Spencer, and Pastor Patton go into town to register to vote. The town registrar hurls insults at their faces and subjects them to a timed literacy test and a poll tax, while he lets white people register with just a signature and a smile. Mr. Pineville tries further voting suppression tactics (refusing to “grade” their literacy test immediately) until the men and Stella stage an impromptu sit-in, complete with singing of gospel spirituals. The men passed the test but the Klan retaliated with terror tactics at the Spencer home a few days later.

Throughout the novel we see Stella progress from a shy girl with a secret (writing at night) to a strong, confident journalist in-the-making that manages to save three lives (Hazel Spencer, Paulette Packard, and her mother). Stella is quite an amazing little girl and an excellent literary role model for the middle grade reading audience. My only beef with this book is that I wish the author had written a scene with Dr. Packard’s reaction to Stella saving Paulette from drowning. Maybe the author didn’t include this scene because some people never overcome their racist mindset? What do you guys think?

I was curious as to the tune of the traditional African American gospel songs/spirituals sprinkled throughout the text. Thanks to technology I found the titles, lyrics, and video performances online:

“Children, Go Where I Send Thee” (p. 51)

 “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” (p. 144)

“Get on Board” (p. 197)

Last week, I attended the Southeastern Library Association Conference and I visited a session titled, “Tragedy, Healing, and Understanding: Using Library of Congress Primary Sources with Children and Teens.” This session was geared mostly for school librarians, but as a parent whose goal is to teach my child respect inclusion of others, I will probably use this resource with my son. Since the Library of Congress site can be overwhelming, the Teaching Civil Rights History with Primary Resources website was created by various departments at the University of South Carolina to assist teachers and librarians in finding teaching aids: https://scloccivilrights.com/civil-rights/elementary-school/

Readalikes:

The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier: (Goodreads review) “ When Minerva and Keira King were born, they made headlines: Keira is black like Mama, but Minni is white like Daddy. Together the family might look like part of a chessboard row, but they are first and foremost the close-knit Kings. Then Grandmother Johnson calls, to invite the twins down South to compete for the title of Miss Black Pearl Preteen of America. Minni dreads the spotlight, but Keira assures her that together they'll get through their stay with Grandmother Johnson. But when grandmother's bias against Keira reveals itself, Keira pulls away from her twin. Minni has always believed that no matter how different she and Keira are, they share a deep bond of the heart. Now she'll find out the truth.”

New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer: (Goodreads review) “Set in the South during the time of segregation, this lushly illustrated picture book brings the civil rights era to life for contemporary readers as two young girls find an inventive way to foil Jim Crow laws. When her brother's hand-me-down shoes don't fit, it is time for Ella Mae to get new ones. She is ecstatic, but when she and her mother arrive at Mr. Johnson's shoe store, her happiness quickly turns to dejection. Ella Mae is unable to try on the shoes because of her skin color. Determined to fight back, Ella Mae and her friend Charlotte work tirelessly to collect and restore old shoes, wiping, washing, and polishing them to perfection. The girls then have their very own shoe sale, giving the other African American members of their community a place to buy shoes where they can be treated fairly and "try on all the shoes they want."

Citations:

Ballad of America (2012). Get on board. Retrieved from http://www.balladofamerica.com/music/indexes/songs/getonboard/index.htm

Desmond [Username] (2008, January 16) Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHFveRxXfM4

Draper, S.M. (2015). Stella by starlight. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Frazier, S.T. (2010). The other half of my heart. New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Impasse0124 [Username] (2009, November 28) Children, go where I send thee [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0y7YN6M0Og

Meyer, S.L. (2015). New shoes. New York: Holiday House.

Title:  Boxers & Saints

Author: Gene Luen Yang

Genres and themes: graphic novels, juvenile literature, historical fiction, colonialism, war

The main theme between Boxers and Saints is parallelism. The first and obvious sign of parallelism is the simultaneous release of both volumes and their corresponding artwork:

Each cover features the protagonist accompanied by his or her supernatural mentor. Our protagonists are teenagers who have experienced various kinds of tragedy: Four-Girl/Vibiana is the victim of domestic violence by her grandfather, uncle, and cousin. Bao watched his father never fully recover mentally from a physical beating. Both Bao and Four-Girl are warned about the “foreign devils” by an elder:

“Daughter, we Chinese are not meant for the foreign devils’ religion. Their beliefs will poison your mind and destroy your spirit” (Saints, Yang, 2013, p. 74).

[Master Big Belly to Bao]: “Those devils have no respect for our ways. They blemish our skies with smoke and build metal railroads across our dragon lines. They incite the land’s anger” (Boxers, Yang, 2013, p. 85).

Four-Girl’s conversion to Christianity was a slow process; her visits to the local Catholic priest were a way for her to eat more snacks, avoid her chores, and escape her abusive family. When she announces her conversion, her family’s violent reaction forces her to leave the only home she’s ever known. Bao’s “conversion” to the mercenary lifestyle occurs after watching his fellow countrymen and women suffer from the greed of the foreigners and their Chinese converts (referred to as secondary devils). Four-Girl is assisted on her journey of self-discovery through visions of Joan of Arc; Bao’s warrior journey is encouraged through rituals and dreams of Chinese opera gods.

While these two volumes and plots shared many characteristics, an interwoven plot, and tragic endings, there a few slight differences between the two texts. Saints starts off on a negative tone and the panel colors are muted, almost sepia tone like vintage photographs. Boxers starts off on a positive note (springtime and spring festivals) and the all the panels are full color illustrations. (Any thoughts or theories on why the difference in coloring between the two books?). The sections in Saints are divided by Four-Girl’s age while the sections in Boxers are divided up geographical location and year. I believe that Yang created and released these two volumes simultaneously to show young readers that there are two sides to every story- even in war. The Christian missionaries and their disciples thought they were fulfilling God’s work converting the Chinese to Christianity and taking care of orphans. The non-Christian Chinese viewed their converted countrymen as traitors to the glory of China, and thought the missionaries were greedy, rude, and disgusting. It probably didn’t help that every time Bao met a foreigner, that foreigner was committing some kind of anthropological no-no (smashing idols, taking food without asking, practicing bodily harm on another human being, etc.).

While I was reading Boxers and Saints this week, my 10-yeard old son saw these books and took one while I was reading it and ended up reading both. He loves to read graphic novels but my husband and I got a chuckle that I had to wait for my turn to read a book for my class (Hubby turned to me and said, “I had a feeling this would happen at some point during this class). My son reads below grade level so we encourage him to practice reading as much as possible. Thankfully, these graphic novels aren’t too violent and the few sexual innuendos went over his head. When he was done, reading them, I asked him what he thought of them: “They were crazy. Just crazy.”

After my son’s remark I decided to look for children’s books on the Boxer Rebellion, to supplement the graphic novel. And I found very little children’s books on this subject. Publishers and historians- you need to get on to this! A search through the PINES catalog (the statewide online catalog for public libraries in Georgia) found these titles:

Fifty-five days of terror: the story of the Boxer Rebellion by Burt Hirschfield (published in 1964)

The Boxer Rebellion: anti-foreign terror seizes China, 1900 by Irving Werstein (published in 1971)

Recommended Readalikes:

Persepolis, Volumes 1 &2 by Marjane Satrapi

(From my review on Goodreads): “Chronicles the life of Marjane Satrapi as she grew up during the political unrest in Iran from the late 1970s through the late 1990s. It's her autobiography in graphic novel form and it gives Westerners a rare glimpse into a mysterious country and region. As a little girl, Marji parrots the political slogans and ideologies she hears from the grownups around her. As a preteen her eyes slowly open to injustice in the world as she and the other females in Iran are subject to harsher and harsher rules regarding dress, opposite-sex relationships, and public etiquette. Marji's parents send her to Europe for her safety and to continue her education; although Europe is not dangerous, Marji's ethnicity keeps her from truly fitting in. She returns to Iran but finds that her home country has changed dramatically under the leadership of religious fundamentalists.”

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics – edited by Chris Duffy (Goodreads synopsis): “As the Great War dragged on and its catastrophic death toll mounted, a new artistic movement found its feet in the United Kingdom. The Trench Poets, as they came to be called, were soldier-poets dispatching their verse from the front lines. Known for its rejection of war as a romantic or noble enterprise, and its plainspoken condemnation of the senseless bloodshed of war, Trench Poetry soon became one of the most significant literary moments of its decade. The marriage of poetry and comics is a deeply fruitful combination, as evidenced by this collection. In stark black and white, the words of the Trench Poets find dramatic expression and reinterpretation through the minds and pens of some of the greatest cartoonists working today.”

Citations:

Duffy. C. (editor) (2014). Above the dreamless dead: World War I in poetry and comics. NewYork: First Second.

Hirschfield, B. (1964). Fifty-five days of terror: the story of the Boxer Rebellion. New York: Julian Messner, Inc.

Satrapi, M. (2000). Persepolis. New York: Pantheon.

Werstein, I. (1971). The Boxer Rebellion: anti-foreign terror seizes China, 1900. London, UK: Franklin Watts.

Yang, G. L. (2013). Boxers. New York: First Second.

Yang, G. L. (2013). Saints. New York: First Second. 

YA Realistic Fiction: Looking for Alaska and Darius & Twig

**This originally appeared on a YA Realistic Fiction discussion board for my Children's Literature class**

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author; John Green

Genre: young adult, realistic fiction, award winner 

Looking for Alaska is the second John Green book I have ever read. (the first was The Fault in Our Stars). When I began this book, I thought to myself, “I wonder if John Green is going to kill off a character in this book?” Well, so far, we are two for two. While Looking isn’t as emotionally gut-wrenching as Fault, it’s still a pretty sad book. The book itself is divided into two sections: Before and After and the reader doesn’t find out what exactly Before and After are referencing until the beginning of the second half of the book. I thought the book was divided this way because the massive prank the Colonel and Alaska were plotting against their frenemies. Now that I am a veteran of two John Green books, I know Before and After mark a great tragedy in the life of Miles Halter and his boarding school buddies.

When the novel opens, Miles Halter leaves his boring life behind in Central Florida to attend the Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama, his dad’s alma mater. He quickly befriends his roommate The Colonel (birth name: Chip Martin), Takumi, Lara, and the beautiful Alaska Young: “I stared, stunned partly by the force of the voice emanating from the petite (but God, curvy) girl and partly by the gigantic stacks of books that lined her walls…If just one them moved, I thought, the domino effect could engulf the three of us in an asphyxiating mass of literature” (Green, 2005, p.15). Miles soon earns the ironic nickname of Pudge from The Colonel and then proceeds to navigate multiple illicit adventures of all kinds with his friends while keeping up with his studies: smoking, the secret drinking spot, pre-calc tutoring sessions with Alaska, playing pranks on the weekend kids, kissing a girl (and other things) for the first time, and pining away for the girl he could never have- Alaska.

The first half of the book has its mixture of humorous, snarky, and serious moments. Miles learns that Alaska’s mother died of aneurism, the Colonel is fiercely protective of his mother who lives in poverty, Lara is an immigrant from Romania whose parents never took her seriously until they moved to the United States, and Takumi misses his grandmother whom he never met. All four of them came to Culver Creek to leave a dead-end situation (Darius & Twig feature characters that also dream of leaving their current environment).

The second half of the book understandably gets darker in tone as Miles and his friends grieve over Alaska’s senseless death and undergo the grieving process. The Colonel and Miles take it upon themselves to investigate the last hours of Alaska’s life as a form of grief therapy. They also want to know if Alaska killed herself deliberately or if it was, indeed, a freak accident. Unfortunately, the boys (and the reader) never come up with solid evidence either way. Throughout the novel, Miles and Alaska had been researching the meaning of the “labyrinth of suffering” referenced in a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel (supposedly Simon Bolivar’s last words). This search intermingles with the religion class Miles and crew attend and Miles’ affinity for memorizing the last words of famous people: “People die how they live. And so last words tell me a lot about who people were, and why they became the sort of people biographies get written about” (Green, 2005, p.128).

This book could fit into so many subcategories of realistic fiction as listed in our lecture notes: humor (for the first half of the book at least), contemporary realism, school and friends, coming of age, and social problem (Alaska dies due to drunken driving) (Carruth, 2018). This book was “challenged but retained at the Marion County High School in Lebanon, Ky. Planning to use the novel in her senior English class, the teacher sent home permission slips, so parents would have the option to keep their child from reading the book. One parent accepted the offer for her child to leave the room during those lessons. That parent, however, didn’t want other children discussing it either and filed a challenge against Green’s novel, igniting an overwhelming show of support for the book from students, alumni, community members—and even Green himself” (Doyle, 2016).

My readalike recommendations (disclaimer: I have not personally read these):

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider (synopsis courtesy of Goodreads): “Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Funny, smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby, The Beginning of Everything is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.”

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford (synopsis courtesy of Goodreads): “An amazing, touching story of two friends navigating the dark waters of their senior year. New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?”

Citations:

Carruth, D. (2018) Realistic fiction [Word document] Retrieved from https://vsu.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/1710195/viewContent/27687980/View?ou=1710195

Doyle, R.P. (2016). Books challenged or banned in 2016. Retrieved from https://www.ila.org/initiatives/banned-books-week/books-challenged-or-banned-in-2016-by-ro

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books.

Schneider, R. (2013). The beginning of everything. New York: HarperCollins.

Standiford, N. (2009). How to say goodbye in robot. New York: Scholastic Press.

Title: Darius & Twig

Author: Walter Dean Myers

Genres: young adult, realistic fiction, award winner, sports fiction

Darius & Twig chronicles the everyday life of best friends Darius Austin and Manuel “Twig” Fernandez. Darius dreams of being a writer that changes the world while Twig aspires to be a great runner. Unfortunately, their environment tries to work against their dreams- they live in the poor section of Harlem where violence and other crimes are an everyday occurrence. Darius and Twig also have two nemeses at their school- Midnight and Tall Boy, opposites to Darius and Twig in almost every way. Throughout this novel, Darius is struggling with the suggested edits from the editor of the Delta Review. As Darius changes throughout the novel, he uses his growing emotional maturity and awareness of the world to flesh out his short story in more vivid detail. Darius views this essay as his ticket out of Harlem but his guidance counselor (and I use that term loosely here. I personally thought his guidance counselor was too negative) thinks otherwise: “He got right to the bottom line, He said that right now I wasn’t scholarship material… He said maybe I should drop put and do my junior year over again” (Myers, 2013, p.4). Darius does not accept this less-than-encouraging news; with an absent brother, and overworked mother, and a little brother to care for, Darius wants to change his life for the better: “The thing was that I needed a scholarship that would get me out of my house, away from my mom, away from the hood, and most of all, away from the crap that was going on in my head everyday” (Myers, 2013, p. 6).

To mentally escape his environment, Darius envisions himself as a falcon named Fury and some of the chapters open with segments about Fury’s sky-high view of the world and his hunting escapades. The little vignettes mirror the emotions Darius experiences within the corresponding chapter. Between Fury’s “flights” and his own walks around the neighborhood, Darius knows that he needs to leave Harlem and attend college to better himself. His greatest fear (and this mentioned multiple times in the novel) is that “if I didn’t get a scholarship, it would mean taking my place with all the other guys on the block who look like me. Young, black, dangerous, unless proven otherwise (Myers, 2013, p. 12).

While the novel is told from Darius’ point of view, we also learn about Twig’s situation. His family is ruled by his sleazy uncle who wants to leave the family store to Twig. Twig, like Darius, does not want to stay in Harlem for the rest of his life. As his best friend, Darius assists Twig with his training regimen and lives vicariously through Twig’s races: “Twig had found a real joy in running, had found a pleasure and a freedom that he didn’t have anywhere else in his life. It was something he could do, a statement that his body could make to the world” (Myers, 2013, p. 109).

In our “Realistic Fiction” lecture notes, we are encouraged to review realistic fiction novels with the following criteria in mind:

·       the plot involves a common problem that most teens can relate to as part of “an interesting and believable plot” (Carruth, 2018).

·       The characters in realistic fiction should not be perfect children who make no mistakes.

·       The setting should contribute to the story and written vividly to transport the reader to another place.

·       The themes of the novel should not come across as preachy.

·       The dialogue between characters needs to sound as natural as possible.

Although the ending was more positive than I expected and wrapped their problems a little too neatly (while reading this book I had a sense of mild dread that Darius or Twig were going to get into some kind of trouble with huge consequences), I believe that this book meets the requirements listed above. Most teens can relate to wanting to leave a stifling environment and receiving no help for this goal with the adults in their life. Teens also have best friends that they can share secrets with and go to bat for, like Darius did when he convinced Twig’s uncle to watch Twig race. Despite their circumstances, Darius and Twig are considered “good kids” but they are not perfect- they do end up in a fist fight against Midnight and his cronies. The negative conditions in Harlem are written vividly but do not overtake the plot; the boys are never completely hopeless about their situation, although they sometimes waver about their future choices. I think perseverance and friendship are the themes of this novel and they are presented in a believable manner throughout the novel. Once again, because Darius and Twig are not perfect, their dialogue isn’t perfect either- there is some swearing (some readers might cringe over the few F-bombs sprinkled throughout the book). This book also fits into the subgenres of coming of age and sports novel (I’m still trying to decide whether this book fits into the social problem novel. What do you guys think?).

Readalikes disclaimer: Since I am not familiar with YA sports novels, I consulted Listopia on Goodreads for the following recommendations:

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker (synopsis from Goodreads):”Runningback Mick Johnson has dreams: dreams of cutting back, finding the hole, breaking into the open, and running free with nothing but green grass ahead. He has dreams of winning and of being the best. But football is a cruel sport. It requires power, grace, speed, quickness, and knowledge of the game. It takes luck, too. One crazy bounce can turn a likely victory into sudden defeat. What elite athlete wouldn’t look for an edge? A way to make him bigger, stronger, faster?
This novel explores the dark corners of the heart of a young football player as he struggles for success under the always glaring—and often unforgiving—stadium lights.”

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte (synopsis from Goodreads): “This is a sports fiction novel that tells a story of Alfred Brooks, a seventeen-year-old high school drop-out, living in Harlem, finding his way in the world and in boxing. Alfred learns that getting to the top is not as important as how you get there, and that before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender with the will to get back on your feet after you have been knocked down.”

Citations:

Carruth, D. (2018) Realistic fiction [Word document] Retrieved from https://vsu.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/1710195/viewContent/27687980/View?ou=1710195

Deuker, C. (2007). Gym candy. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.

Lipsyte, R. (1996). The contender. New York: HarperCollins.

Myers, W.D. (2013). Darius & twig. New York: Amistad. 

Double Feature: A Boy Called Bat & Raymie Nightingale

**This originally appeared on a discussion board for my Children's Literature class**

Title: A Boy Called Bat

Author: Elana K. Arnold

Genre: juvenile lit, realistic fiction

I ordered all four books on this list for this week’s readings and fell in love with A Boy Called Bat after flipping through the book and seeing this illustration:

I’m a sucker for any kind of animal book so my heart just melted when I saw this drawing. It also brought back memories of when I visited the local pet store when I was about 6 or 7 years old; the pet store had some baby skunks for sale and I just thought they were so cute. Occasionally, my inner child wants a pet skunk, but I have to remind myself that “keeping a pet skunk as a pet is much more challenging than keeping a dog or cat. Skunks are not pets by nature” (Arnold, 2017, p.172), as Dr. Dragoo advises to Bat.

A Boy Called Bat falls under many literary categories and sub-categories. Not only is the book realistic fiction, but it’s also a part of the contemporary realistic realm since it is a “story that takes place in present time and portrays attitudes and mores of the present culture” (Short et al., 2014, p. 146). The events take place in the present (there are references to email and latptops) at Bat’s home, his school, his dad’s house, and his mom’s veterinary practice- all locations that are familiar to most children. Bat and his sister, Janie, are also part of what Short et al. refers to as an “alternative family”- their parents are divorced, and Bat and Janie spend Every-Other-Friday with their dad (a dad who doesn’t seem to keep up with Bat’s various quirks. For example, Dad calls Bat, Sport, even though Bat doesn’t play any sports, and Dad makes foods that cause texture issues for Bat).

While Bat is thrilled with the baby skunk his mom brought home and researches the best way he can convince his mom to keep Thor permanently, Bat must negotiate the everyday hurdles of schoolwork, sibling stress, and making new friends. While these are everyday occurrences for most children, Bat has a sensory disorder, or he might even be on the autism spectrum; the book never puts a label to Bat’s behavior which I think might be more relatable to young readers. Instead of spotlighting Bat’s disability, the book focuses on his love and care for Thor and Bat’s desire to make Thor a part of the family.

My recommended read-a-likes are Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin and Seven Days to Goodbye by Sheri S. Levy. The main character in Rain Reign, Rose, is a little girl with high-functioning autistism and is obsesses with homonyms (hence the title) and prime numbers. Rose lives with her father, who is neither the best or the worst father in the world, but he does not act kindly towards Rose's disability. The book starts off with Rose's daily struggles in school to contain her outbursts and her awkwardness in social situations. Luckily, Rose has Rain, her dog, and her Uncle Weldon to help her through life and her father's moods. Unfortunately, Rain becomes lost during a hurricane and it's weeks before she is reunited with Rose. At the reunion, Rose learns that Rain had a family before her and Rose takes the hard, brave and unselfish journey to find Rain's original family. Seven Days to Goodbye takes place during Trina's last week with Sydney as he must be returned to the service dog organization to find his fur-ever family and a child that will need his protection. While Trina is happy that she is going on a vacation to the beach with her family and her best friend, the thought of parting from Sydney makes her heart ache even though it's for a good cause.

For an additional yet informative dose of cuteness, here is a video about skunks created by Chris and Martin Kratt of the TV show, The Wild Kratts.

Citations:

Arnold, E. (2017). A boy called bat. New York: Walden Pond Press.

Levy, Sheri S. (2014). Seven days to goodbye. Vancouver, WA: Barking Rain Press.

Martin, Ann M. (2014). Rain reign. New York: Feiwel & Friends.

Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Skunked! (n.d.). In Wild Kratts Wiki. Retrieve from http://wildkratts.wikia.com/wiki/Skunked!

Title: Raymie Nightingale

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Genre: juvenile lit, realistic fiction, takes place in Florida

As a native Floridian, the setting of Raymie Nightingale caught my attention; it is set in the fictional town of Lister, Florida, somewhere in the center of the state, during the summer of 1975. Due to its semi-serious tone, this book fits into the new realism subcategory of realistic fiction, a type of fiction that is “less lighthearted than their predecessors, but they are more truthful and real in portraying the actual lives of children” (Short et al., 2014, p.150). I would also classify this as juvenile regional fiction, since a lot of minor characters fit the “eccentric Southerner” or “eccentric small-town resident” trope (portrayed respectfully and with good humor by the author). Although there are some humorous interactions between Raymie, Beverly, and Louisiana, their antics and adventures are a mask for the serious issue each girl faces in her life: Raymie’s father unexpectedly deserted the family, Beverly’s mother is physically abusive, and Louisiana lives in poverty with her grandmother.

I would also classify this a coming-of-age story as well. At the beginning of the book, Raymie enters the Miss Central Florida Tire Pageant in the hopes that “her father would see her picture in the paper and come home” (DiCamillo, 2016, p. 7). After meeting Louisiana’s grandmother and visiting their home, Raymie comes to the realization that Louisiana is more deserving of the prize money, should she win the pageant (Louisiana and her grandmother had their electricity turned off and “feasted” on tuna sandwiches every night due to their money woes).

My read-a-like suggestions are Rocky Road by Rose Kent and Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

In Rocky Road, Tess Dobson's must deal with her mother’s whim to move to Schenectady, New York to open an ice cream shop in the middle of winter. Once Tess gets to Schenectady, she learns that her mother's risk-taking, sloppy spending, fast talking, and mood swings have a name: bipolar disorder.

Turtle in Paradise features Turtle (so named for her tough emotional exterior), a preteen sent to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Key West in 1935. Turtle's mother never told her about her extended family, so she is surprised to learn she has so many cousins. Unfortunately, in her eyes, they are all boys. In this quiet gem of a book we get a glimpse of Key West during the Great Depression and before commercialism and tourism changed the Keys' way of life forever.

Since there was a side plot of Archie, the missing shelter cat, I would like to share with everyone that June is Adopt a Shelter Cat month! A few years ago, I created a themed library display that contained non-fiction and fiction books about cats, and the local animal shelter sent us flyers to add to the display as well. Of course, the cat lovers and children loved the display….

Citations:

DiCamillo, K. (2016). Raymie Nightingale. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Holm, J. L. (2010). Turtle in paradise. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.

Kent, R. (2010). Rocky road. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson. 

Double Feature: The Cruel Prince and The Buried Symbol

**This post originally appeared on a YA Fantasy Literature discussion board for my Children's Literature class**

Title: The Cruel Prince

Author: Holly Black

Genres: YA fiction, fantasy, read for school

The Cruel Prince drew me in visually with its understated yet beautiful cover but the prologue definitely peaked my reading interest since it literally starts off with a bang- a mysterious man kills the parents of Jude, Taryn, and Vivienne in front of them. Let’s just say that Mystery Man had a very personal connection to their mother…The rest of the book occurs ten years later as the three girls have come to terms with Madoc (the mysterious man) and their life in Faerie; Vivienne, Madoc’s biological daughter, hates him and wants to leave Faerie to live with her mortal girlfriend. Jude and Taryn are twins but are complete opposites in personality: Taryn is quiet and loves the spectacle of Faerie parties and balls; Jude’s goal is to become a Knight (these two remind me of Sansa and Arya in the Game of Thrones series). Madoc treats all three girls equally: “The servants are overfond of telling me how fortunate I am, a bastard daughter of a faithless wife, a human without a drop of faerie blood, to be treated like a trueborn child of Faerie. They tell Taryn much the same thing” (Black, 2018, p.10). The Folk view Vivienne more fondly due to her pure Faerie blood while Taryn and Jude are subjected to constant scorn and mockery for their mortal status.

The court intrigue and drama in Faerie is also reminiscent of Game of Thrones and mortal world politics. High King Eldred’s six children each have their allies: The Circle of Grackles (the party animals), Circle of Larks (the art lovers), and Circle of Falcons (the warriors). Spies from each of these subgroups stay busy discovering evidence of unsavory plots and creating distractions. Taryn and Jude have to deal with their own immediate drama: Prince Cardan. Prince Cardan, known through Faerie for his drunkenness, playboy ways, and cruelty: “This is how they are. Someone gets in Cardan’s way, and they’re instantly and brutally punished…I am grateful that Cardan has five more worthy brothers and sisters; it’s guaranteed that he’ll never sit on the throne. I don’t want to think of him with more power than he has” (Black, 2018, p.23).  (Hello, Prince Joffrey of Westeros!). Prince Cardan and his entourage take every opportunity to bully the sisters, especially Jude, who verbally antagonizes them back in return.  

Jude uses her past, swordfighting practice, and chess strategy lessons with Madoc to build up her survival skills; skills she hopes to use someday as an official warrior in Madoc’s retinue and gain power to make her untouchable:

“I was raised by the man who murdered my parents, reared in a land of monsters. I live with that fear, let it settle into my bones, and ignore it. If I didn’t pretend to be scared, I would hide under my owl-down coverlets in Madoc’s estate forever. I would lie there until there was nothing left of me. I refuse to do that. I will not do that” (Black, 2018, p.31).

I am going to recommend two sets of readalikes this week: one for older teens (ages 17-18) and one for younger teens (13-16). For older teens, I recommend The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin (AKA Game of Thrones) and The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. These are fantasy series for adults but could also be categorized as YA/Adult crossovers. The Song of Ice and Fire series takes place in a medieval world called Westeros. Multiple kingdoms are vying for control of the throne while ignoring the threat of “whitewalkers” (zombie-like creatures) to the north. This book contains graphic, mature content, which is why I recommend it for older teens. The Dresden Files is an urban fantasy that takes place in modern-day Chicago. Harry Dresden is a wizard turned private detective (even wizards need to eat). Harry lives with two magical pets and a lecherous, talking skull. He and his rag-tag groups of friends stay busy saving Chicago and the world from various supernatural-induced catastrophes.

For younger teens, I recommend The Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks (now an MTV series) and anything by Maggie Stiefvater. I have not read The Shannara Chronicles myself but my husband has watched the TV series, which is specifically created and marketed to a teenage audience. Maggie Stiefvater has written about werewolves, water horses, and lots of other magical creatures. I swoon every time she publishes a new book!

Citations:

Beimler, H. and Hewitt Wolfe, R. (Writers). (2007-2008). The Dresden Files [Television series]. In N. Cage, N. Golightly, R. Hewitt Wolfe, and D. Simkins (Producers). New York: SciFi Channel.

Benioff, D. and Weiss, D.B. (Writers and Directors). (2011-2018). Game of Thrones [Television series]. In D. Benioff and D.B. Weiss (Producers). New York: Home Box Office.

Black, H. (2018). The cruel prince. New York: Little, Brown, and Company.

Brooks, T. 1977-1985. London, UK: Orbit Books.

Butcher, J. 2000-2014. The Dresden Files, book series. New York: Roc Books.

Gough, A. and Millar, M. (Writers). (2016-2017). The Shannara Chronicles [Television series]. In D. Blocker (Producer). New York: Viacom Media Networks.

Martin, G.R.R. 1996-2011. Song of Ice and Fire, book series. New York: Bantam. 

Title: The Buried Symbol

Author: jeffrey L. Kohanek

Genre: YA fiction, fantasy, read for school

Brock Tannerson is fed up with the futility of life as an Unchosen after the death of his beloved aunt. “He didn’t want just any vocation. He wanted to make a difference, to achieve something special. He wanted to be able to save the next loved one when they needed him” (Kohanek, 2016, p. 43). After stealing enough money to get an illegal rune branded into his forehead, Brock and his best friend, Tipper, set off the Academy- an elite school run by the government (the Empire). While on the journey to the Academy, Brock and Tipper encounter a banshee and a bacabra and Brock has a vision of an unknown rune which gives him special powers and abilities (which come in handy later in the book).

Once he arrives at the Academy, Brock realizes he forgot to research the admissions requirements! Thanks to the help of well connected, new friend, Brock applies to the Academy through a series of puzzling evaluation tests; after passing these tests he is admitted to the Academy and his life changes forever. Brock learns about engineering, lore/history, fighting, the structure of the government, laws, and the arts of healing and divination which seem to be his special gifts. Brock learns about Order, a “life force tied to all living things” (Kohanek, 2016, p.174), which sounds strangely similar to the force in the Star Wars universe…. As if dealing with school stress and experiencing love with his first girlfriend wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Brock also has to contend with a bully. The lost symbol referred to in the title of the book, refers to some extracurricular research Brock and his friends discovered after Brock illegally pilfered a book from the library (originally referred to as a knowledge center). Their research uncovered a rune for Chaos, another life force, that was used in the past for destruction, but now the Ministry has erased Chaos from the cultural memory of Issalia.

Although I initially had some misgivings about The Buried Symbol due to the cover (I thought it looked amateurish and formatting (I know, I know, you can’t just a book by its cover), the first chapter drew me in. Although this book wasn’t as well written as The Cruel Prince (I found a few spelling and grammatical errors in The Lost Symbol), the plot was fast-paced and engaging. I wish certain background elements had been fleshed out more within the text. For example, being an Unchosen is a big deal but the ceremony where all the citizens received the rune that determines the course of their life is barely mentioned throughout the book. There are a few scenes where Tipper, Brock’s best friend, experiences discrimination based on his Unchosen status, yet the author never delves in depth into the hierarchy and classism of this world. Another thing that bugged me was the way the author described females in the book- they were either curvy, voluptuous, and beautiful, or they were painfully thin. I know this book is told from the perspective of a teenage boy, but I found these initial descriptions of women as superficial and annoying. Even though this is a fantasy novel, the characters in the book don’t speak as formally as most characters in fantasy novels do. In fact, they sometimes speak in a Southern manner. Brock refers to his father as “Pa” and the man in the tavern that was upset about eating in the same inn as an Unchosen kept using the word “ain’t.” I don’t know if this was on purpose because of the intended audience or if it’s just the author’s writing style, but I’m used to a certain formality of language when reading fantasy novels. Oh, and did anyone notice that the map of Issalia resembles the continental US?

Citations:

Kohanek, J. (2016). The buried symbol. No location: Black Rose Printing. 

Double Feature: Bob and Crenshaw

**This post originally appeared on the discussion board for my Children's Literature class**

Title: Bob
Authors: Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Genre: juvenile fiction, fantasy

Bob takes place in rural, drought-ridden Australia (exact location never mentioned). Livy and her family are visiting Livy’s grandmother after their last visit 5 years ago. Poor Livy can’t remember any details from her last visit, when she was five, so everything is a surprise to her. The biggest surprise is when she finds Bob living in a closet. At first Bob thinks he is a zombie, and then a chicken, but as for what Bob IS, Bob can’t remember where he came from (what is it with the memory stuff around here?). As you can see from the sepia-toned illustration below, Bob is definitely NOT a chicken (if he were, he would be a huge chicken!).

As Livy spends more time with Bob, memories of her last visit return in sudden snatches:

“One chicken was not the other chickens…” (p.3).

“Did I ever bump down those stairs?” (p.6)

“But what I remember about the second floor is not a big bed with a canopy. I still don’t know what it is, but it is not that” (p.8).

Little memories like this eventually aid Livy and Bob in figuring out his identity. Eventually Livy and Bob figure out that Bob has a special ability: “If Livy’s mom doesn’t see me at all, and a kid like Danny, who doesn’t know me Livy knows me, sees a chicken, then maybe age is another clue to my magic” (Mass, 2018, p.100). Bob can also make people forget about him unless he gives them a “memory aid.” In Livy’s case, her memory aid is a black chess piece. Every time Livy was physically removed from Bob, she forgot about him, but once she touched the chess piece she remembered him again and their quest to find his home.

As an adult reading this, I thought at first that Bob was an invisible friend or a metaphor for Livy’s soon transition to teenagerhood (Livy is almost eleven during the events of the book). The drought is also mentioned several times throughout the book, so I thought that Livy’s memory was somehow magically tied to the drought. In the end, it’s Bob and his origins that are connected to the drought. I would classify this book as an animal fantasy with a touch of mystery. Even though Bob is not an animal in the traditional sense of the word, he is a creature (from somewhere) and he “experiences emotions, talks, and has the ability to reason” (Short et al., 2014, p.129). There are a lot of little clues sprinkled throughout the story that Bob, Livy, and the reader must use to restore Livy’s memory and assist Bob with his mission of finding his home.

Since Bob is not a scary creature, the mysterious elements are not scary, there are no violent events, and there is a happy ending, I think this would be a great book to introduce older elementary children to the fantasy and mystery genres. Since it is not scary, the book “can be read to very young children who enjoy the exciting but reassuring adventures in books” (Short et a;, 214, p.129).

 My read-alike suggestions are The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne and Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis. In TMH series, siblings Jack and Annie travel to other lands and times to fulfill magical missions for Merlin and Morgan le Fay (reimagined here as the librarian of Camelot). Magical elements are used sparingly, and only for good, while the evildoer is always stopped in the nick of time. In Raining Sardines, the setting is in rural, pre-Castro Cuba and a bit of magical realism is entwined into the story (hence the title). Enriquito and Ernestina are best friends with two secrets: they have befriended the island's wild Paso Fino population and have discovered buried golden treasure! When the town land baron destroys the mountain, the locals have used for centuries for crops and hunting, the ponies' way of life is threatened as well. Enriquito and Ernestina hatch a plan to keep their beloved ponies safe and use the treasure to help their downtrodden neighbors. 

Citations:

Flores-Galbris, E. (2007). Raining Sardines. New York: Roaring Books Press.

Mass, W., Stead R., Gannon, N. (2018). Bob. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Osborne, M.P. 1992-2018. Magic tree house, book series. New York: Penguin RandomHouse.

Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Title: Crenshaw

Author: Katherine Applegate

Genre: juvenile fiction, animal fantasy

Crenshaw is told from the point of view of Jackson, a fifth grader, who unfortunately knows what sudden illness, financial hardship, and homelessness can do to a family. Crenshaw first appears to Jackson when Jackson was in the first grade. Jackson’s family had just lost their home and had to live in their minivan for fourteen weeks before they could find affordable housing. Crenshaw brought comfort to Jackson who was mentally burdened by his family’s situation: “In any case, Crenshaw had excellent timing, He came into my life just when I needed him to. It was a good time to have a friend, even if he was imaginary” (Applegate, 2015, p.142). Crenshaw disappeared just as suddenly a few months later the same day that Jackson met his best friend Marisol.

Jackson has keen observation skills due to his desire to be an animal scientist when he grows up. Jackson uses these observation skills to eavesdrop on his parents who refuse to tell Jackson the truth of the situation. After a few years of hungry bellies and too-small clothes, Jackson recognizes the signs of more changes and instability: his parents fight more often and his parents use various coping mechanisms to hide the seriousness of the situation from Jackson and his sister, Robin. The last straw, in Jackson’s eyes is when the family sells off most of their possessions in a yard sale in a last-ditch effort to catch up on their overdue rent. At this point, Crenshaw pops into Jackson’s life again; he’s big, he’s back, and he’s got catitude! When Jackson argues with Crenshaw about the reality or unreality of Crenshaw’s appearance, Crenshaw assigns Jackson a mission:

“Meantime, you get to work.”

“…on what, exactly?”

“The facts. You need to tell the truth, my friend,”

“Which facts? Tell the truth to who?”

“To the person who matters most of all” (Applegate, 2015, 79).

I would classify this book as a mixture of realistic fiction and animal fantasy. Unfortunately, many children will be able to relate to Jackson’s perilous situation regarding food and shelter. Short et al., defines the animal fantasy as a genre where “the author will interpret the animal for the reader in human terms without destroying the animal’s integrity or removing it from membership in the animal world” (2014, p. 129). The fantasy aspect comes into play when Crenshaw shows up on the first page in a flashback scene. Although Crenshaw can walk, talk, take bubble baths, and do handstands, he still retains feline characteristics and sensibilities (chasing frogs and moths, referring to the family dog as an odorous beast, purring during times of contentment, etc).

This book contains themes of adversity (the family’s experience with homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of money), honesty (Jackson’s guilt for shoplifting food and his desire for his parents to be honest with him and Robin), and friendship (Jackson’s friendship with Crenshaw and Marisol). Crenshaw’s catitude and mild snark adds just enough humor and amusement to keep the story from being too depressing for young readers. The story is also more character driven so it would make a great bedtime, readaloud book or a book that a newly fluent reader could read on their own.

My readalike recommendations are Babe, The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Both books contain talking animals contained in a realistic, human setting. I have only seen the movie version of Babe, but I remember it to be a cute and wholesome movie, perfect for young children. Charlotte’s Web contains similar themes of adversity (Wilbur needs to be saved from the chopping block) and friendship (between Charlotte, Wilbur, and the other farm animals).

Citations:

King-Smith, D. (1983). Babe, the gallant pig. London, UK: Gollanz.

Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

White, E.B. (1952). Charlotte’s web. New York: Harper & Bros.

Ella Minnow Pea

Title: Ella Minnow Pea
Author: Mark Dunn
Genre: satire, humorous fiction, book club

The events of Ella Minnow Pea take place on the fictional tiny island nation of Nollop (located off of South Carolina). Due to their semi-isolation, Nollopians take great pride in educating their citizens and expounding their feelings and thoughts vociferously through the written word. Nollop was founded by Nevin Nollop, who the citizens hold in high regard. He is respected (and worshiped) so much within this island nation that he is the subject of a statue decorated with tiles that spell out “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” When the letter “z” tile falls off the Nollop statue, the island council interprets this mini tragedy as a sign from beyond the grave: Nollop’s grave. The city council believes Nollop’s ghost wants the use of the letter z banished from all written and verbal communication on the island.

Losing the letter z isn’t difficult but communication becomes hampered when D,O, and K, and a lot of other letters fall from the statue. To keep the banishment of these letters from all communications, severe punishment is enforced for using forbidden letters: public humiliation/punishment via stocks or public lashing, banishment, and even death! Of course, such sudden authoritarian rules changes the idyllic and peaceful nature of the island. Neighbors turn against neighbors, the library is closed, the newspaper is shut down, food becomes scarce and is rationed due to the declining economy, some island citizens immigrate to the United States to start over, teachers resign since they can’t teach effectively (can’t speak and teach about past tense without the letter D), and an underground postal service is created to circumvent the state-sanctioned surveillance. Since communication is hampered, letters between friends and family become shorter, certain words are substituted for others (for example: school becomes “learny-place”), and some people resort to pointing in an effort not to accidentally use a forbidden letter.

The book is told through letters between various characters. At the beginning of the book, the letters are very verbose, almost reminiscent of the educated writing styles of the 19^th century. As the events in the novel progress, the letters become shorter as writing is hampered and people self-police the words they use. While this is a satire on authoritarianism, the book does spotlight the dangers of censorship, unneeded government surveillance, and the importance of the freedom to communicate.