Module 10: Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Summary:
Georgie Nicholson is a teenage girl who doesn't know who she is or what she wants and she's all over the place trying to pin it down. Written in epistolary form, this novel is laugh-out-loud hilarious and a no-holds-barred telling of one girl's coming of age through adolescence and the discovery of boys and trying to get them to like you. With bursts of self-loathing and self-acceptance sprinkled throughout Georgie's journal musings, one can't help but remember how awkward growing up was when reading through. The constant back-and-forth between different ideas, preferences, thoughts, and desires paints a raw and honest picture of being a teenager.

Rennison, L. (2000). Angus, thongs, and full frontal snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Review: 
This is the hilarious Bridget Jones-like diary of 14-year-old Georgia, who has a rather wild cat named Angus, a three-year-old sister who pees in her bed, and a best friend who is in love with the vegetable seller's son. Georgia discusses kissing (snogging) lessons, which she needs because she has just met the "Sex God" of her dreams; what to wear to parties and school; and how to spy on your crush's girlfriend (this is where thongs come into play). In typical teen manner, Georgia lives in her own world; she thinks she is ugly, is convinced that her parents are weird, positively abhors schoolwork, and has a deep desire to be beautiful and older. Yet she still has time to enjoy the mad antics of her cat and indulge her odd but sweet sister. It will take a sophisticated reader to enjoy the wit and wisdom of this charming British import, but those who relish humor will be satisfied. Fresh, lively, and engaging.

Reynolds, A. J. (2000). Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. School Library Journal, 46(7), 109.

My Impressions:
This book is wildly hilarious and dangerously cheeky at any given moment. Considering how the book even starts (with a direct, descriptive discussion of breasts, bras, and boob shape), I can see why this book would be challenged. Georgie, while well-intentioned most of the time, writes and records her most honest opinions and thoughts about the world around her in the journal entries that make up the book. Many of her opinions and those of teens everywhere are not always clean, appropriate, or respectful. Georgie is frequently demeaning and demanding toward her parents and friends alike. All that to say, I think Georgie's voice is a wonderful depiction of what actual, real-life teens would sound like if you could sit inside their head and listen for awhile. The content pushes boundaries and, at times, social norms, but overall, it approaches society with honesty and that often causes some amount of uproar, the least of which is book challenge.

Library Use: 
An unusual element of Angus is that it is written by a British author and Georgie is British herself. The language and slang used in the book is unfamiliar to most American audiences. This book could be used as book study into the meaning of words and how they came to be established. As an introduction into the importance and role of the library, students could discuss the passing on of information and how meanings and expectations change over time and across cultures. Angus shows how some meaning can be taken for granted while others need to be evaluated and learned in multiple formats to truly understand. Students could use multi-lingual dictionaries or urban dictionaries to determine differences in meaning and usage across cultures and languages.

Module 6: Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-brother Baseball Team

Summary:
In 1930s America, one minor league baseball team was made up entirely of brothers, the Acerra brothers. A family of sixteen children, the Acerras were a hard-working immigrant family who learned to share and rely on each other at a young age. Vernick retells their playing baseball in the field outside their house and on the baseball diamond in a way that makes it sound like a fanciful story when in actuality the information is verified and retold from information received from interviews and conversations with a couple of the Acerra boys themselves. Making it through graduations, wars, and marriages, the Acerras were the longest playing, all-brother baseball team in history.

Vernick, A. (2012). Brothers at bat: The true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Review: School Library Journal
Here's a fun and true story to start out the baseball season. Vernick relates the history of the Acerra family's 16 children, consisting of 12 boys who formed their own semiprofessional baseball team in Long Branch, NJ, during the 1930s. Their dad was their coach and biggest fan. The team is honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame for being the all-time longest-playing all-brother team in baseball history. The author exhibits good humor by pointing out individual boys' distinguishing characteristics such as Charlie, the slow runner who "hit a ball nearly out of the park, but only made it to second." There is a retro feel to Salerno's illustrations done in black crayon, gouache, watercolor, and pastel, with digital color added. Shades of green, blue, and turquoise augment the outdoor scenes. Readers will laugh out loud as they spot one brother out the bedroom window at night running with toilet paper in hand to their three-seater outhouse. This story sends out positive vibes of a family who sticks together, yet couples the tale with sorrowful times as well. A delight not to miss.

Christolon, B. (2012). Brothers at bat: The true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team. School Library Journal, 58(4), 153.

My Impressions:
Historical fiction takes actual facts and tidbits and fleshes them out into complete stories that could have happened in real life and did actually happen in real life. Brothers at Bat takes what could have been a one-line world record and gives it context and meaning through fictional representations of the events and characters. Vernick added excitement to the reality of the Acerras playing together for so long and Salerno's illustrations bring about a schoolyard, Americana feel that makes the reader feel as if they're outside in the sunshine running, cheering, and playing alongside the Acerras on and off the field.

Library Use:
Brothers at Bat could be used as a fictionalized starting point for discussing America's pasttimes and culture throughout the 20th century. The rules of baseball and political events that took place from the 1930s - 1950s gives more context to the power of sports during that part of America's history. The discussion could continue into news reporting and students could examine events in history and there portrayals in different media outlets and news reports. Students could use online newspaper databases to locate information about singular events and compare the details selected in different primary sources.

Module 3: Sarah, Plain and Tall

Summary:
A family of three without a mother or wife lives in Kansas in the early 20th century. The mother of Anna and Caleb dies with the birth of Caleb and their father and family is rocked completely. With little to no laughter or joy in their lives in the aftershock, their father sends for a mail-order bride. Sarah arrives from the northeastern coast of Maine to try out being a wife and mother to the grieving family. The four of them learn through trials and miscommunication that love can transcend boundaries if you're willing to break them down and open up your heart again. As the story progresses, Sarah misses her home in Maine and the family in Kansas finds they need her more than they thought possible. The four of them take deep, inward looks at their real hearts' desires and decide that family is most important in life.

MacLachlan, P. (1985). Sarah, plain and tall. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Review: School Library Journal
A book that is filled with wisdom, gentle humor, and the practical concerns necessary for a satisfying life. Terse writing and poetic rhythm flow to create a tender story about the fragile beginnings of a family relationship on its way to permanence. Mama died at Caleb's birth, and Papa has not sung since. When a request for a mail-order bride brings a response from a woman from Maine, both Anna (who tells the story) and Caleb want to know if she sings. Sarah arrives for a trial period, and the children and their father wonder if Sarah will miss her family and the sea to much to stay with them. The characters emerge through dialogue, Sarah's letters and the family's responses to her. Through a simple sentence or phrase, aspects of each character's personality--strength, stubbornness, a sense of humor--are brought to light. Refreshingly, this novel portrays children as receptive to the love, nurturing and attention that a step-parent can offer--and the willingness to return the affection. Throughout the story, MacLachlan weaves in the colors of the prairie as the seasons pass. Readers will hold their breaths with Anna and Caleb, wondering if indeed Sarah will stay, and breathe a sigh of relief when she does. A short but moving book that is anything but plain--for those who prefer quality to quantity.

Jones, T. (1985). Sarah, plain and tall. School Library Journal, 31(9), 92.

My Impressions:
Sarah, Plain and Tall is a timeless tale and deserves the Newbery Award it won. While the story takes place in a version of society that is time-specific, it doesn't really effect the story because the elements of their surroundings are, for the most part, peripheral. The story is about a blended, new family and the ability of humans to rally together and grow through difficult times and trials when they open their hearts to one another and learn to trust each other. There is a voice and character in the story for everyone. Each role of the four main people in the story bring a different perspective to the situation and each of them has to learn to appreciate the differences in the others so they can make a cooperative, loving life together.

Library Use:
Sarah, Plain and Tall could be used as part of a diversity in family exercise with students in the library or co-taught with the school counselors. Families may look different and include people not related to you. It is important for students to understand that family requires compromise and sacrifice for the good of everyone. This could be attached to a challenge to the students to vocalize their gratitude over Thanksgiving Break to the people in their lives they consider family.  

Module 10: Amulet: The Stonekeeper

Summary:
Two young kids are forced to move with their mom to an old family home in the middle of nowhere after unexpectedly losing their father in a sudden car crash. The home belongs to the children's great grandfather, Silas, who went missing many years ago never to have been heard of again. Upon cleaning and searching the house, the kids and their mother find a workshop filled with unique items and inventions as well as a secret passageway. They are soon descending into an alternate reality of earth after their mother who was captured by a monster. Ruby has responsibility thrust upon her when the pretty amulet she took from her great grandfather's home proves to be an intense channel for power. In search of their mother and in desperation to get home, Ruby and Navin rally with the unique beings around them to figure it all out.

Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet: The stonekeeper. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Review: School Library Journal
Hurrying to pick up her brother, Emily and her parents have a tragic accident, and her father dies. After this dark beginning, the story skips forward two years to when the remaining family members are forced to move to an ancestral house in a small town. Rumored to be haunted, it is unkempt and forbidding. The first night there, Emily's mother goes down to the basement to investigate a noise and doesn't return. The kids search for her and discover a doorway into another world, where their mother has been swallowed by a monster and is being taken away. An amulet that Emily found in the house tells her that together they can save her, but her brother isn't so sure that this voice can be trusted. Still, what other choice do they have in this strange place? Gorgeous illustrations with great color bring light to this gloomy tale. Filled with excitement, monsters, robots, and mysteries, this fantasy adventure will appeal to many readers, but it does have some truly nightmarish elements.

Rutherford, D. (2008). The stonekeeper. School Library Journal, 54(1), 152.

My Impressions:

Amulet is well organized with appropriate flow from one stage or event to the next. The illustrations are crisp in execution but still filled with warmth to make it approachable and cozy. However, visual appeal aside, the story is very direct and moves quickly from one happening to the next. With the right amount of dialogue to feel natural and productive, Amulet strikes a nice balance between comics and prose. The characters feel possible and their feelings seem believable. Action packed on almost every page, Amulet is a great representation of what middle grade graphic novels should look and feel like. There is enough depth in character and story to occupy the emotional needs of middle-schoolers while still not so deep that they feel bogged down by long text or hyper-detailed story. 

Library Use: 
Amulet could be used as a guiding material for students to work on synthesize and revision. The story feels very complete and filled out in Amulet, but when you examine the number of words used or conversations had, much more is said through the images than the words of the characters. Students could replicate their own story in graphic novel format where they determine the lines for the panels and the story they want to tell. You could give them a letter character limit so they're forced to whittle down their thoughts and ideas into small verbal phrases and fill out their story with images and illustrations instead. It could be taken one step further by taking an existing narrative story they'd written and transforming it into a graphic novel representation as a form of revision. 

Module 1: Owl at Home

Summary:
A beginning reader's companion, Owl at Home, follows Owl as he goes through everyday routines around his house. With very little dialogue, readers see what Owl is doing more than hear it through dialogue. Owl gets scared and then reassured throughout the five different stories. He doesn't do anything extraordinary or outlandish. It is,overall, a group of small stories that show Owl's life on his own.

Lobel, A. (1975). Owl at home. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Review: School Library Journal

Owl at Home is the latest in Arnold Lobel’s long string of successes. Five brief episodes in Owl’s life are told simply, without the intrusion of any other characters, unless one counts Owl’s friend, the moon, or the two bumps underneath the bedcovers (his feet) that frighten him. Lobel’s illustrations are as imaginative and satisfying as ever and this will make  a worthy companion piece to Frog and Toad are Friends.

Ehlert, A. (1975). Beginning-to-read: Owl at home. School Library Journal, 22(4), 64.

 
My Impressions:
While the illustrations are quaint and calm, the events Owl experiences are not tranquil. Although nothing bad actually happens to Owl, there is a sense of unrest throughout the whole book and in each of the stories. The incidents of Owl in each of the stories are only loosely connected and related to each other. Most of the stories abruptly end leaving the book as a whole very disjointed and feeling uncomfortable. Owl isn't a very approachable character, but I suppose he seems realistic. The simple movements and actions of Owl make it effective reading for young children still learning basic functions of acting independently from their parents and the sequencing of what Owl does provides a straightforward structure for young readers. The illustrations match the actions in writing near exactly and provide the imagery needed for an effective picture book.
 
Library Use:
Owl at Home could be used as an example of what it looks like to take care of yourself and complete tasks. For an elementary library, this book could start the conversation toward personal hygiene and maintenance. The students could find personal health and hygiene books in the non-fiction section of the library after discussing what types of books they might want to check out to get information about those areas of life. 

Module 8: Time Warp Trio - Marco? Polo!

Summary:
The Time Warp Trio consists of Joe, Fred, and Sam, Joe being the protagonist and the one narrating the story. The Trio stumbled upon a special book that has the uncanny ability of 'warping' the boys to another time period without any rhyme or reason and without any sort of warning. This time, the innocent swimming pool game, Marco Polo triggers the mystical book and sends Joe and his compatriots back in time to 13th century China where they meet the real Marco Polo and must weasel their way into the good graces of the Chinese emperor and his council or risk being stranded in the past forever, or worse, find themselves deceased.

Scieszka, J. (2006). Time warp trio: Marco? Polo! New York, NY: Viking Press.

Review: School Library Journal
This installment in the series takes Joe, Sam, and Fred over the Silk Road into China. As it opens, the infamous blue Book transports Joe from the pool of his local YMCA to the desert where he meets Marco Polo, who is on his way to meet Kublai Khan. The boy is reunited with his friends only after rescuing himself and Marco Polo from bandits and a sandstorm. He also teaches the explorer how to play the game named after him, which provides for some very funny moments. The book concludes with a description of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. This title is as rich in historical detail as it is in humor and will have special appeal to reluctant readers.

 Meulen, K. (2006). Time warp trio: Marco? Polo! School Library Journal, 52(12), 116.

My Impressions:
The Time Warp Trio series is a fun, light-hearted historical fiction series that's great for younger readers and/or reluctant readers who prefer non-fiction but still need to be entertained and persuaded to read. Jon Scieszka is a master at inserting humor into his books as well as goofy, kid-friendly illustrations that make the narrative and its speaker that much funnier. The information presented throughout was useful and informative without being tedious or over-detailed. If the intention of this book, and whole series in fact, is to provide a basic introduction of historical figures and events, then this series is great and distracts readers from the serious learning they're doing by means of humor and adventure.

Library Use:
The Time Warp Trio is a great series for students to use as mentor texts that provide context for writing about a situation where you are not in  your element or able to comprehend what is going on around you. Students could use the example of the Time Warp Trio as inspiration for summarizing most important information about a historical figure and and humanize them as a real person while doing so. Students can create their own extension by imagining themselves being dropped in a foreign land and time period. They can write their experiences through a similar narrative and use biographical and other non-fiction texts in the library to fuel and expand their research. That type of assignment is a great opportunity for showing students how to synthesize their ideas and use the Dewey Decimal classification system to their advantage. 

Module 6: Here Comes the Garbage Barge!

Summary:
Everyone has trash. Trash needs to go somewhere to be thrown away. What if you live on an island and run out of space? Where do you put all the garbage? Apparently, you call the garbage barge and send it away to live somewhere else. Too bad nobody wants the garbage. Readers can follow the long journey of the garbage barge of Long Island as it goes on a quest to get rid of all the garbage.


Winter, J. (2010). Here comes the garbage barge. New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books.


Review: School Library Journal
A fictionalized account of real events that occurred in 1987, this story will convince young readers to take their recycling efforts more seriously. When Islip, NY, has nowhere to put 3168 tons of garbage, the town officials decide that shipping them south is the right thing to do, so a tugboat towing a garbage-laden barge takes it to North Carolina. But North Carolina won't allow the vessel to dock. It goes on to New Orleans, but again is denied harbor rights. Then it is on to Mexico, Belize, Texas, Florida, and back to New York. The garbage is ripening all along the way. Now even Islip refuses to take it back. Finally a judge orders Brooklyn to take it and incinerate it, 162 days after the barge started its journey. Islip is ordered to take the remains to their landfill. The illustrations are photographs of objects made from garbage. The people, full of personality and expression, were made from polymer clay, and wire, wood scraps, and leftover materials of all kinds were used for the tugboat and barge. The inside of the paper jacket explains how the art was done. This title should be a part of every elementary school ecology unit.


Bates, I. (2010). Here comes the garbage barge!. School Library Journal, 56(1), 84.

My Impressions: Here Comes the Garbage Barge! is a visual masterpiece. Red Box Studio constructed each 3D-model from real junk and found objects. The feel of the pictures is very gritty and real because they are photographs of actual 3D objects. The effect of the art style on the book is great. Readers see and can almost feel the different textures and elements of each piece. The garbage becomes the character itself throughout the pages of this non-traditional, historical fiction tale. The exaggerated caricatures of each country provides vivid imagery for their culture and lifestyle at the point in history when the garbage barge frequented their shores which provides realistic context for its journey. All the while, the garbage barge slowly chugs along and illustrates how inconvenient waste is to people on the planet.  

Library Use: Here Comes the Garbage Barge! could be used in conjunction with an Earth Day initiative done in the library. The book could be read aloud to highlight the amount of waste accumulating and the danger of all of it in our country and on our planet. A library lesson could be used to examine the trend of paper books becoming digital books and the impact that shift and other digital shifts can and are having on the planet and its environment.

Module 5: Mockingjay

Summary:
Panem sweetheart and Capitol's most wanted, Katniss Everdeen, and her band of rebels from District 13 and the other remaining survivors of Districts 1-12 are determined to oust President Snow from power by overthrowing the Capitol. Peeta struggles to regain his humanity, if that's even possible, and Katniss pushes to fully embody her role as the Mockingjay, symbol of the rebellion. Near-death and fatal missions leave Katniss and the rebels shaken and damaged. Their assassination mission is clouded by political intrigue and heart-stopping risk around every corner. As Katniss leads her fellow rebel victors and protectors, the lines become blurred between who's in power and who's not and those thought to be trustworthy have their loyalty severely tested throughout the final charge of the rebellion.

Collins, S. (2010). Mockingjay. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Review: School Library Journal
The final installment of Suzanne Collins's trilogy sets Katniss in one more Hunger Game, but this time it is for world control. While it is a clever twist on the original plot, it means that there is less focus on the individual characters and more on political intrigue and large scale destruction. That said, Carolyn McCormick continues to breathe life into a less vibrant Katniss by showing her despair both at those she feels responsible for killing and at her own motives and choices. This is an older, wiser, sadder, and very reluctant heroine, torn between revenge and compassion. McCormick captures these conflicts by changing the pitch and pacing of Katniss's voice. Katniss is both a pawn of the rebels and the victim of President Snow, who uses Peeta to try to control Katniss. Peeta's struggles are well evidenced in his voice, which goes from rage to puzzlement to an unsure return to sweetness. McCormick also makes the secondary characters--some malevolent, others benevolent, and many confused--very real with distinct voices and agendas/concerns. She acts like an outside chronicler in giving listeners just "the facts" but also respects the individuality and unique challenges of each of the main characters. A successful completion of a monumental series.

Ching, E. (2010). Mockingjay: The hunger games, book 3. School Library Journal, 56(11), 59.

My Impressions:

Despite popular opinion that this book, the final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy is boring and tedious, I found it very satisfying and a well-rounded conclusion to the story of Panem and its Hunger Games.  While the Hunger Games is certainly considered a fantasy series, the dystopian environment and situations provide a context that make it appear closer to being futuristic for our own world. Mockingjay allows readers to experience other-wordly technology and framework through the mechanics of the Capitol and its obstacle-laden streets. The specific experience of the characters is foreign enough to provide escapism and a unique perspective, but the political unrest and context constructs a familiar dialogue that mirrors real life and the struggle for power among opposing and oppressive forces.

Library Use:
Mockingjay and its political context and setting could be used as a literary example for comparison when discussing different political systems in a history class. As the librarian, you can show students more familiar examples of concepts within the context of a narrative. When teaching communism, facism, or totalitarianism, references could be made and parallels drawn to the Hunger Games series, especially Mockingjay, to illustrate what related concepts to those types of governments look like in practice.

Module 7: The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps, and Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum

Summary: 
Kathleen Krull weaves a beautiful non-fiction tale of L. Frank Baum and his difficult path to writing The Wizard of Oz and all of its counterparts in this narrative biography. With emphasis and focus on the dips and bumps leading to Baum's penning of Oz, the biography gives insight into the life and career changes of L. Frank Baum throughout his life and amidst beautiful, colored illustrations that make you feel like you're reading a fictional picture book. The book includes author notes and a timeline that give a bulleted account of Baum's life and writing progress.

Krull, K. (2008). The road to Oz: Twists, turns, bumps, and triumphs in the life of L. Frank Baum. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.


Review: School Library Journal
Fans of The Wizard of Oz will find plenty of enchantment in this thoughtful, brightly illustrated narrative. From his childhood at his parents' estate, with its "rosebushes in glimmering-jewel colors," to his various careers as journalist, playwright, chicken expert, window dresser (including his creative display of hardware fashioned into a tin man), store owner, newspaper editor, and family storyteller, Krull magically interweaves the origins of Baum's characters and themes that would appear in his "modern American fairy tales." The "Oz" books were his only true success, but they did not result in a fairy-tale ending for the Baum family. With sympathy for her subject, Krull tactfully notes Baum's lack of aptitude for business affairs and his eventual declaration of bankruptcy. Hawkes's merry paintings of the author and his characters invoke the magic of Oz within the great author's real-world setting. The Road to Oz will provide students with an inspiring introduction to Baum's life. 

Damron, J. (2008). The road to Oz: Twists, turns, bumps, and triumphs in the life of L. Frank Baum. School Library Journal, 54(9), 165-166.

My Impressions:
I thoroughly enjoyed this narrative biography by Kathleen Krull. The pictures embody the fantasy of Oz and give the reader pertinent, accurate information without overwhelming them with dense descriptions and information. That being said, I would consider this a partial biography, possibly a targeted biography were that a classification. Highlights of Baum's life are sprinkled throughout the book but only as context for the main focus of the biography, Baum's eventual writing of The Wizard of Oz. If readers are looking for more personal information with details about his everyday life, this book will not satisfy them. The information included is mainly surface level when related to familial or intimately personal matters. Had the reference not been as obvious, an unprepared reader might interpret this narrative biography as fiction.

Library Use:
The Road to Oz is a great resource for introducing non-fiction in its sub-genres of biography and historical fiction. The picture book format allows readers to approach non-fiction information in a way that seems familiar because of the shared narrative components of fiction. The illustrations help demonstrate what key points are being discussed at that point in the biography and allow readers to place ideas in a visual context. This book could be used as an introductory piece for students learning the sub-genres of biography and historical fiction for the first time.

Module 9: Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse

Summary: 
Traditional fairy tales and familiar nursery rhymes are told through the form of short poems and in two opposing perspectives. The same set of words are used for each poem but in reverse order and from an alternate point of view than the original version. The illustrations literally mirror the words of the poems and often have a reflective quality about them to illustrate the opposition from one side of the story to the other. The poems are quick and clever. The illustrations are fully colored and filled with bright, fun colors that really bring the characters and the humor of the poems to life. 

Singer, M. (2010). Mirror mirror: A book of reversible verse. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Review: School Library Journal
Marilyn Singer's innovative book (Dutton, 2012) presents poetry based on fairy tales that can be read in two ways--the lines can be read from top to bottom and from bottom to top. Crafted in a minimalistic free verse, each set of reversible poems presents the thoughts of characters from various fairy tales. Sometimes the two poems give two points of view of the same character, while other sets represent two different characters in the same fairy tale. For example, the Cinderella poems portray Cinderella's attitude before and during the ball, while the Red Riding Hood verses are written from the girl's and then the wolf's point of view. Each set of poems is illustrated with Josee Massee's stylized acrylic artwork in rich jewel tones. She skillfully incorporates the characters of the poems and the idea of mirror images into each of her illustrations. The female parts are read by the author, while the male characters are voiced by Joe Morton. Both readers skillfully use tempo, expression, and inflection to make the meaning and feeling of the poems clear. Appropriate instrumental background music has been added to each poem. A great choice for a reading/listening center at school, or just for fun.


Cardon, D. (2011). Mirror, mirror: A book of reversible verse. School Library Journal, 57(11), 69.


My Impressions:
Mirror, Mirror is such a fun, lighthearted book that creates a unique poetry experience. Students can look at the poems on each two-sided spread and see new ways words can work together in poetry. The different perspective shown with each poem and illustration forces the reader to shift their understanding of longstanding characters and reexamine familiar situations in a new light. The pictures are so bright and colorful. They really add to the whimsical nature of the book. Poetry can be seen in a less traditional yet structured environment throughout Mirror, Mirror. As a sign of good children's poetry, Mirror, Mirror gives a fresh vision to the same old tales most readers have always had.

Library Use: 
The theme of reversal throughout Mirror, Mirror emphasizes the importance of perspective when dealing with people and the world around you. Mirror, Mirror can be used as an introduction piece for Diversity in Young Adult literature Month. Teaching students the difference a change of narrator can make in the progression and understanding of a story. Students can work to read books with protagonists who are less familiar and/or come from a completely different background than themselves. Introducing points-of-view through short poetry like Mirror, Mirror plants a seed that encourages students to start pursuing other voices and faces outside of their own.  

Module 9: Tap Dancing on the Roof

Summary:
Linda Sue Park walks young poets through a brief introduction about what a Sijo poem is, how it's structured, and its origin. The origin of a Sijo is Korean, and it follows a specific syllabic pattern. A short nonfiction introduction about Korean Sijos starts the book and a longer author's note about Sijo poetry ends the book. Sandwiched in between is a collection of kid-friendly Sijo poems and delightfully quirky illustrations to match.

Park, L.S. (2007). Tap dancing on the roof. New York, NY: Clarion Books.


Review: School Library Journal
Moorhead, S. (2007). Tap dancing on the roof. School Library Journal, 53(11), 111.
My Impressions:
Library Use:

Sijo is a traditional Korean form of poetry that can take two different shapes, three lines or six lines, using a strict syllable count as haiku does but with distinct differences. All of the lines have a purpose: in a three-line poem, the first one would be the introduction, the second would continue the theme, and the third and final line holds a sort of punch line, be it a play on words or a whimsical observation. Park's sijo, 28 in all, harmonize with illustrations that are deceptively simple at first glance, but have a sophistication and wise humor that will make viewers smile, and at second glance make them think. The selections are thoughtful, playful, and quirky; they will resonate with youngsters and encourage both fledgling and longtime poets to pull out paper and pen. The author's note includes historical background on sijo, further-reading suggestions, and a helpful guide to writing in the form. A smart and appealing introduction to an overlooked poetic form.


I loved this book! The simple, fun-loving approach to a structured poetry style in Tap Dancing on the Roof makes poetry accessible for younger and older age groups alike. The slight humor of a Sijo poem makes the material fun and more relatable to younger readers especially. In addition, the structure of a Sijo is really flexible when it's really considered. Poetry is often see as outdated, inaccessible, or difficult to understand by younger generations. Seeing a new form of poetry, especially one that emphasizes a twist or curve in subject rather than syntax, makes poetry fun and encourages young adults and children to examine or practice more poetry.

Tap Dancing on the Roof is a fun book for introducing different poetry styles and formats. With the nature of a Sijo being so simple and straightforward, students could quickly learn how to fill the format and then implement it to describe their school experiences. The librarian could give examples of experiences that might be used in a Sijo in the context of school and the library. Students could then write Sijo poems. Those poems could be used on display throughout the library as a visual reminder that poetry still has a role in literature and in their everyday life. 

Module 7: One Beetle Too Many

Summary:
Charles Darwin was a man of many interests but few real talents and certainly not ambition in most cases. Taking a detailed yet concise look at Charles Darwin's sordid career history and eventual discovery, One Beetle Too Many is a biography with lots of personal and professional information about Charles Darwin's life and basic terminology related to the Origin of the Species. Geared toward upper elementary and middle school students, this biography teaches about who Charles Darwin was a as person, but it also highlights his messy path.


Lasky, K. (2009). One beetle too many: The extraordinary adventures of Charles Darwin. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Review: School Library Journal
Large and humorous mixed-media illustrations will draw children to this large-format biography. Using watercolor, graphite pencil, gouache, acrylic ink, colored pencil, and collage, Trueman captures Darwin's world and adventures. Cartoon-like people have prominent noses, expressive faces, and enormous hands. Throughout, the naturalist appears to be both curious and hapless, a description he might have given himself in his own modest journals. Lasky's text balances the exuberant artwork with well-organized information, gracefully sprinkling in quotes from Darwin's own writing. Touching briefly on his childhood, the text devotes most of the space to Darwin's years on the Beagle, explaining how his discoveries in geology, paleontology, and animal anatomy on that trip led to his theory about evolution. Lasky uses Darwin's own words to show that he questioned the literal nature of the Bible and the divinity of Jesus, but that he wrote several times praising God as the Creator. Although the text is brief, it creates a clear view of a man who was troubled by the implications of his observations and who, at the end of his life, was more interested in experimenting with earthworms and carnivorous plants than in promoting his theory.

Heath, E. (2009). One beetle too many: The extraordinary adventures of Charles Darwin. School Library Journal, 55(1), 127-128.

My Impressions:
Informational texts are supposed to impart information to their readers. This juvenile biography gives a semi-complex look at the starting ideas and experiences of Charles Darwin that would shape his scientific understanding and come up with the origin of the species, or evolution. The illustrations are colorful and childlike making the text approachable and easy to follow in smaller chunks. When reading through the book, you can jump between main progressions in Charles's life because the book is divided into chapters. Scientific conclusions and explanations are added within the text to back-up and support the observations seen by Charles. That pattern helps fill out the readers' depth of understanding. 

Library Use: 
One Beetle Too Many could be used as part of a monthly theme in the library that highlights innovators and important individuals in the scientific community. This display could coincide with the school Science Fair to spark enthusiasm for science and promote curriculum alignment across campus. 

Module 2: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

Summary: 

Beekle is an imaginary friend awaiting his destined real friend. Every imaginary friend comes into existence in a faraway fantasy land. It lives there until it's imagined by a small child in the real world. Beekle is not so lucky to be imagined by a real friend. Instead of worrying away his life, Beekle takes his life into his own hands and sets off for the real world in search of his real friend. Looking up and down and all around, Beekle is just about to give up hope when he hears a quiet voice and finds an unexpected, but perfect, best friend. 

Santat, D. (2014). The adventures of Beekle: The unimaginary friend. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group

Review: School Library Journal

How long would you wait and how far a journey would you make to find your truest friend? Born on an island for imaginary friends, Beekle waits to be “imagined by a real child.” He waits and waits, but his turn never comes. Filled with impetuous courage, Beekle does the unimaginable and heads out across deep waters until he reaches the real world. He finds that life there is so harried that no one notices him. Eventually, as he waits at the top of a star-leafed tree, a small girl with a friendly face calls out to him with a picture in her hand. They learn to be friends, share adventures and snacks, joke, “and together they did the unimaginable.” Santat’s attention to detail in the mixed-media illustrations shares a child’s eye for laughter and movement on full-bleed spreads with strategically placed text. Gazes of wonderment, broad smiles, and changes in perspective ensure an easy transition from page to page. Beekle’s round white visage and taped orange paper crown are immediately identifiable in each scene, a sharp contrast to his surroundings against variations of dark neutrals on a city street or the brightly colored dragons of a child’s imagination. Like Beekle’s new friend, there’s something here that feels just right as an “unimaginary” friendship creates a joyous, recognized bond. A terrific addition to any library. 

Elam, M. (2014). The adventures of Beekle: The unimaginary friend. School Library Journal, 60(4), 134.

My Impressions:

I love this story from cover to cover and want to read it over and over again. I agree entirely with Beekle receiving the Caldecott Award because the brilliance and livelihood of the illustrations jump off the page at every turn and create a beautiful depiction of what the imagination is capable of in children and adults alike. Beekle's determination and unlikely journey shows people of all ages the value in working to get what you want and looking in unconventional places to find it. Beekle contains a perfect blend of whimsy and reality that makes the journey of Beekle all the more enjoyable and ultimately rewarding. The vivid colors and contrast of environment throughout the story illuminates Beekle's feelings and fully expresses his emotions without adding unnecessary words which is a great use of the picture book format. 

Library Use: 

Beekle as a story and with its particular images could be used on a large scale in the library as a theme for working hard and seeking out the unknown to find your purpose. I could see using Beekle's illustration in an elementary school, but also in a middle school. The bright colors and relatable aspects of the story make it applicable and approachable for many ages. Beekle himself could be used as an inspirational character or idea in a school library that encourages and reminds kids of what they can accomplish when they work hard. You could even create a library award around the character, Beekle to highlight student achievement.  

Module 5: Earwig and the Witch

Summary: 
Earwig is not your average girl. She's been an orphan for her whole life, and, unlike most orphans, Earwig has no desire to be adopted. So, when two very strange individuals show up at St. Morwald's Home for Children, she is unpleasantly surprised to be chosen by them for adoption. Frustrated and reluctant to leave, Earwig has no choice but to go with her strange new 'parents'. Upon arriving at her new home, things only get weirder. The doors aren't real doors, rooms that should be next to each other aren't really there, and, to top it all off, Earwig is used as the personal servant of the wretched witch, Bella Yaga. The horned man, who turns out to be a Mandrake, hardly surfaces at all, and when he does, cannot be bothered by anyone. Earwig pushes the boundaries and tricks her new hosts into submitting to her whim and will just like at St. Morwald's. Maybe her new home won't be so bad after all.

Jones, D.W. (2012). Earwig and the witch. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Review: School Library Journal

Earwig is a most unusual girl. As a baby, she arrived at St. Morwald's Orphanage under mysterious circumstances. Since then, she has possessed a strange affinity for making the staff do exactly what she wants--from preparing her favorite meals to buying her new clothes. For this reason, Earwig goes out of her way to avoid being adopted. Then comes the fateful day Bella Yaga, accompanied by Mandrake, her sinister shape-shifting sidekick, arrives at St. Morwald's and takes Earwig to do her grunt work. Slave duty doesn't even come with magic lessons. But with the help of Thomas, a feline familiar, Earwig outsmarts the witch in a most ironic way. And before long, she has both Bella Yaga and Mandrake under her control. This appears to have been the first in a charming new series, cut short by the author's untimely passing in 2011. Earwig is a plucky, albeit bossy, heroine, and the story is packed with wit and humor. Zelinsky's illustrations enhance this imaginative tale.

LeMerise, A. J. (2012). Earwig and the Witch. School Library Journal, 58(2), 91.

My Impressions: 
Earwig and the Witch is a unique read, and it certainly has some appeal, but I felt that the story wasn't very compelling. While all the right pieces were there for suspense and action, the way Earwig is presented, I didn't feel very attached or interested in her as a character. I felt the story told me what I should think about Earwig more than it showed me. That being said, I realize the book is targeted to younger elementary students so I see the purpose for the writing style. I would have liked to experience a little bit more action between the main characters and some additional information about Bella Yaga and the Mandrake that made them more accessible and intriguing. 

Library Use: 
While it isn't addressed specifically, Earwig and the Witch hints at and weaves elements of folklore and superstition into the story through its characters. Given the age range for this book, Earwig and the Witch could be used as an introductory text to folklore and its place in literature as a whole. The purpose and history of literature could be discussed and explored with elementary students using Earwig and supplementing with juvenile non-fiction texts.  

Module 8: 43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You

Summary: 
A grouchy, washed-up author, Ignatius B. Grumply is forced into writing a final installment of his children's book series, Ghost Tamer, because he has squandered his fortune and needs the cash. Wanting to find an excluded and silent getaway to serve as his writing retreat, Ignatius rents out the dilapidated, Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road for the summer. Unbeknownst to him, the home is occupied by the son of the homeowners who are away on a ghost hunting trip. Ignatius is perturbed to say the least and is challenged by the bothersome boy and his supposed ghost friend. You see the story unfold through letters, pictures, and manufactured advertisements and newspapers. As the story progresses, you're not sure who will end up liking whom or if the final book in the Ghost Tamer series will ever come to exist.

Klise, K. (2009). 43 old cemetery road. Orlando, Fl.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Review: School Library Journal  

When former best-selling children’s author, I.B. Grumply moves into a Victorian mansion in Ghastly, IL, to write the latest installment in his “Ghost Tamer” series, he is hindered by more than just his overwhelming case of writer’s block. He is dismayed to find the mansion already occupied by an 11-year-old boy named Seymour Hope, his cat, and Olive C. Spence, a ghost living in the cupola who is unhappy because she never managed to publish her books in her lifetime. Similar to the Klise’s other offerings, the story is successfully told through letters, newspaper clippings, drawings, and related devices. Although Grumply has written ghost tales, he himself is a nonbeliever, and Olive and Seymour attempt to convince him. They then collaborate on a book about their own experiences, including the possibility of the demolition of the mansion, a ghost who falls in love with the occupant of her house, and Seymour’s parents and their lack of responsibility for his care. This first title in a new series will appeal to readers, especially reluctant readers; as it moves quickly and leaves its audience eager for book two, which is announced in this ghastly and fun tale. 

Shaw, M. (2009). 43 old cemetery road: Dying to meet you. School Library Journal, 55(5), 112.

Impressions: 

43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You is a delightful read with plenty to keep the reader engaged. There are so many places for the eyes to look on each page. The epistolary style of the novel adds so much life and spice to the characters. The use of the different fonts and words makes each character's personality pop. There is a ghost element in the story, but amazingly, the feeling you get about the ghost and other characters is supremely human. The way the characters grow and change throughout the story and unlikely circumstances is refreshing and light-hearted. Young readers would love this book for its easy-to-read, conversational approach as well as all of the visuals that breathe more life into what's happening. The small, approachable chunks that make each letter create an approachable reading task that would be useful  for reluctant readers who need a lot to keep them interested and successful when reading. In addition, because this series has simple problems with emotional solutions, it is relatable for young children who are emotionally involved with reading. They may not like reading because the story is difficult to understand or keep track of. 43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You does a great job of illustrating story elements and highlighting the feelings of the characters so all story elements become clear and important to the reader. 

Library Use:

This novel could be used in a co-taught lesson with the language arts teachers about how to construct and write a letter. The librarian could provide examples of other important letters and communication and then bridge information learned about letter writing to skills and expectations for today's digital culture and online communication. It could be used as an illustration for comparison between offline and online communication. This one book could be used as an introduction book for other books and materials available in the library collection, providing students with another type of fiction and/or non-fiction to explore.