Module 4: Ivy + Bean

  

Summary: 
Two seven-year-old girls, Ivy and Bean, become friends despite how hard-bent Bean is on staying away from Ivy. Bean is an adventurous, mischievous girl who bugs her sister, plays pranks, and is outside more than she is inside. Ivy is quiet, talks to herself, and marches to the beat of her own drum. When one of Bean's pranks goes unexpectedly wrong, Ivy comes to her rescue and starts a beautiful friendship. The girls quickly recognize their quirkiness is more in-sync than they originally thought. They are soon plotting and ploying together throughout the neighborhood.  Barrows, A. (2006). Ivy + bean. San Franciso, Calif: Chronicle Books.

Review: Kirkus Reviews
A charismatic duo makes their debut in this new chapter-book series. Barrows provides a fresh take on the standard odd-couple tale of friendship, with a caveat to readers of not judging a book by its cover—or the new girl by her seemingly goody image. Bean, an energetic girl with an inclination for mischief, just doesn’t see the appeal of her new neighbor Ivy, whom her mother extols as such a “nice girl,” which Bean readily translates to mean dull. However, when she needs to escape the wrath of her bossy sister Nancy, Bean discovers a whole new dimension to the quiet girl next door. Together Ivy and Bean concoct a plan to cast Ivy’s fledgling dancing spell on Nancy, with unexpected and hilarious results. With a hearty helping of younger sibling angst, a sprinkling of spells and potions and a dash of nosy neighbors, Barrows has the perfect recipe for solidifying a newfound friendship. Blackall’s saucy illustrations detailing the girls’ hijinks and their calamitous outcomes are liberally featured throughout the text. Readers are bound to embrace this spunky twosome and eagerly anticipate their continuing tales of mischief and mayhem. (Fiction. 6-10)

IVY AND BEAN. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(9), 454.

My Impressions: 
Ivy + Bean is a delightful, early chapter book series for kids starting to take on more challenging reading but need a nice transition from picture books. The regular illustrations help keep the story going and the reader visually involved with the story. The reservations Bean expresses about Ivy are completely believable and likely. Ivy's tendency to forget about the world around her is also something you'd expect from elementary children. The hesitation you experience between Ivy and Bean is a great depiction of what many elementary kids do and experience in real life. The unlikely friendship that forms, awkwardly, felt how the development of such a friendship would occur, making it relatable and applicable for juvenile readers. 

Library Use: 
Ivy + Bean could be used as examples of opposites attracting in terms of friendship and as an illustration for how to overcome differences by focusing on shared interests and a respectful appreciation of diversity. Ivy + Bean could be part of available literature for a diversity monthly focus that looks at unlikely partnerships. Students could be encouraged to examine their varied skills and abilities and think of ways they match or work collaboratively with people who have differing skills and abilities. 

Module 4: Ask the Passengers

Summary:
Astrid Jones is a teenage girl struggling with her sexual orientation. She lives with her father, mother, and sister in Unity Valley, Pennsylvania. Unity Valley is a small, conservative town that stands in stark contrast to the New York city life of Astrid's childhood. Feeling trapped by her own uncertainties about who is and is not okay to love and what that means, Astrid works through her feelings by silently sending love to anonymous airplane passengers that fly by overhead and by stealing secret kisses from her unofficial girlfriend, Dee. The story unfolds one awkward, difficult moment at a time and Astrid stumbles to decide who she is and who she loves. Her family, her peers, and her community are forced to confront the realities of Astrid's identity. The ride isn't always smooth, but there are more who love her than she maybe realized.

King, A.S. (2012). Ask the passengers. New York: Little Brown.

Review: School Library Journal

The Plot: Astrid lives in a small town where everyone knows, or thinks they know, everyone’s business. Everyone judges. So Astrid keeps some things to herself: like that her father is smoking pot. Like how she and her younger sister Ellis are no longer close. Like she’s sure her mother dislikes her.

Like Astrid has been kissing Dee, a girl from work. For months.

Astrid doesn’t even tell her two close friends at school, Kristina and Justin, which is both amusing and sad because Astrid knows their secret, that the popular, well-liked couple are not really a couple, both are gay, and both are covering for each other because being gay in their small,  perfect town would be impossible. Besides, just because Astrid like kissing Dee, it doesn’t mean she’s gay.

So Astrid plays a game, giving love to strangers, staring up at planes and sending love. And the passengers flying over Pennsylvania wonder why suddenly they feel hope, or love, or calmness.

The Good: Oh, such a complicated, complex book, much like Astrid and her family.

Astrid and her family relocated from New York City years before, and A.S. King tells us only what Astrid knows, only what we need to know, but there are threads and hints of things going on beyond what we are told. King also respects the reader to not tidy this story up with a bow. Oh, there is a resolution, yes, and I felt so happy and hopeful finishing this book you’d think Astrid was sending me love from it’s pages.

It’s  not just that somethings remain unknown or unresolved; for example, is the mother agoraphobic? Did they leave New York City for reasons other than a yearning for small town life? So, too, are the relationships not easily resolved. Rather, they remain as messy as they were at the start of the book, just messy in different ways and with more truth-telling and less secrets.

Astrid is struggling not so much with her feelings for Dee, but, rather, what those feelings mean. Is she gay? One of the things I really like about 

Ask the Passengers is Astrid’s process, not just internally (what she feels) but externally (what she does.) There is reference to a boy Astrid briefly dated (her mother plotted against the relationship because she didn’t like the boy), but not much about that. Astrid isn’t so much uncomfortable with being gay as she is uncomfortable with a label, because, good or bad, she’s seen in her small town the damage any label does to someone, how it limits them.

Dee is a bit more experienced than Astrid, even though they are the same age, and I loved how their dynamic worked. It’s the complications of their being together and it being hidden, but also Astrid not always being on the same page as Dee about just how physical the two should be. It’s awkward and honest and tender, and sometimes Dee is a bit aggressive, but Astrid is no pushover and vocalizes her wants and needs including what she doesn’t want. I loved seeing a couple work through what they were both physically ready for, using words as well as touch and kissing.

I said how Astrid sends love to the passengers she sees in the planes flying above her. I love that, and that image of Astrid, lying on a picnic table and looking up, up not see the planes as escape as others would but instead to share love. To be positive. And I love that every so often, we meet one of those passengers who are on the receiving end of Astrid’s love: where they are going, what is happening, that the burst of love helps in a way Astrid never knows about.

Yes, this is a Favorite Book Read in 2013.

Burns, E. (2013). Review: Ask the passengers. School Library Journal, 59(2), 53.

Impressions: 
From the first page of Ask the Passengers, I was hooked. The voice of the protagonist, Astrid Jones, and her quirky habit of sending love to strangers is a poignant, touching element in literature and even rarer in the world outside literature:
“Every airplane, no matter how far it is up there, I send love to it. 
It’s a good game because I can’t lose.
I do it everywhere now.
I don’t care if they love me back.
This isn’t reciprocal.
It’s an outpouring.
Because if I give it all away, then no one can control it.
Because if I give it all away, I’ll be free.”
(Ask the Passengers, p.1)

The beauty of Astrid sending out love to those around her is only enhanced when we learn that Astrid is one of two children in a dysfunctional, disconnected household where she feels unloved. To make matters worse, the ever-present difficulty of every teen to establish their identity is weighing heavily on Astrid as she struggles to determine her sexual orientation.

King sheds light on the heart of someone questioning in a way that illuminates the issue of homosexuality without making a spectacle of it. She beautifully weaves in internal dialogue and raw moments where you feel as if you see the heart of Astrid displayed on her sleeve.  Astrid is a thinker, a philosopher, who questions the motives of herself and those around her in a way that’s insightful yet relatable for teens and adults alike. As you experience Astrid’s intermittent clarity and confusion in turn throughout the story, you deeply feel for her and all the while want to give her a hug or a slap, you never can decide. To engage a reader so thoroughly is a triumph by King, for sure.

At the end of the story, I felt filled with hope for Astrid and for the world around us that struggles to move forward in a positive way but not always sure how to do so. Ask the Passengers makes you feel like that’s okay. That maybe we don’t always have the right answers or solutions, but loving each other despite the unknowing is what will carry us through. 

Library Use: 

Ask the Passengers could be used as part of a display that promotes teaching, history, and understanding of equal civil rights for all people. The display could be part of a monthly focus that highlights certain information and where to find it in different types of texts and literature available in the library. The books available in the display could be correlated to matching areas/sections in the collection to encourage students to read more material from them.

Module 2: This Is Not My Hat

Summary: 
A small, sneaky fish steals the hat of a bigger, sleeping fish. The small fish swims away with the stolen hat, assuming the big fish will never notice. As you make your way through the story, you progress with the small fish as he 'thinks' he succeeds in stealing the hat and getting away with it. However, that is not the case, because, unbeknownst to the small fish, the big fish (owner of the hat) is following him the whole time. The big fish is triumphant in regaining his hat in the end.

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Review: School Library Journal 
With this new creation, Klassen repeats the theme from I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011), but with a twist. The narrator here is the thief - a small, self-confident fish who has pilfered a little blue bowler from a big sleeping fish. He wastes no time or words in confessing his crime as he swims across the page announcing, "This hat is not mine. I just stole it." He continues his narrative with no regrets, but with a bit of rationalizing ("It was too small for him anyway.") as he swims to his hiding place, unaware that the big fish is in quiet pursuit. Readers, of course, are in on this little secret. When the two disappear into a spread filled with seaweed, the narration goes silent, and youngsters can easily surmise what happens as the big fish reemerges with the tiny blue bowler atop his head. Simplicity is key in both text and illustrations. The black underwater provides the perfect background for the mostly gray-toned fish and seaweed while the monochromatic palette strips the artwork down to essential, yet exquisite design. Movement is indicated with a trail of small white bubbles. This not-to-be-missed title will delight children again and again.

Janssen, C. (2012). This is not my hat. School Library Journal, 58(9), 116.

My Impressions: Jon Klassen does a wonderful job of providing enough 'between-the-lines' inferences to make the story appealing and hilarious to adults while also simple enough for small children to interpret literally. The beauty of This Is Not My Hat is in that varied level of depth that can be experienced differently by each reader, no matter their age. The illustrations are clear and crisp without feeling sparse, and they create a feeling of 'bigness' as one would feel in a big body of water as a small fish. Klassen does a great job of illustrating natural consequences for unacceptable behaviors without creating an environment of harsh confrontation or fear. The balance Klassen creates in the story, both visually and verbally, is perfect and a joy to experience.

Library Use: 
This Is Not My Hat could be used in a joint librarian/counselor lesson that introduces the idea of correct actions and natural consequences to primary students. The simple illustrations and the straightforward progression of the story provide steps for teaching cause-and-effect relationships and the impact they can have on an individual person even in cases where they think no one will know their misstep. Students could brainstorm ideas individually or in small groups about times when their actions had unexpected and unpleasant consequences. To close the lesson, students 

Module 3: Looking for Alaska

Summary:
Looking for Alaska is a coming-of-age tale of Miles Halter, a teenager whose whole life is turned upside down when he joins the ranks of preppy boarding school in Alabama. Miles is far from being the most outgoing or cool high schooler in the world when he arrives at Culver Creek Prep, but his mode of operation soon changes when he meets his jock roommate, The Colonel, and the alluring Alaska Young from down the hall. The trio embarks on a series of pranks and mischief throughout the school year. Battling serious issues of depression and examining 'the meaning of life', the three kids bond in unexpected ways and soon learn what real heartache feels like as they say goodbye to someone too soon. From the perspective of Miles, the reader experiences the ups and downs of being a teenager trying to piece your identity and happiness together. 

Green, J. (2007). Looking for Alaska. New York, NY: Speak.

School Library Journal Review:
"From the very first page, tension fills John Green's Michael L. Printz Award-winning novel (Dutton, 2005). Miles Halter, 16, is afraid that nobody will show up at his party because he doesn't have many friends. He loves to read biographies and discover the last words attributed to famous people. He's particularly intrigued with the dying words of poet Francois Rabelais: "I go to seek a great perhaps." Miles is leaving his loving Florida home for the "great perhaps" of the same Alabama boarding school attended by his father. Ominous chapter headings (40 days before, 10 days after) reveal that something tragic may happen. At school, Miles is accepted by a brainy group of pranksters led by his roommate and Alaska Young, a smart and sexy feminist. The teen becomes captivated by his new friends who spend as much energy on sex, smoking, drinking, and cutting-up as they do on reading, learning, and searching for life's meaning. As the school year progresses, Miles's crush on Alaska intensifies, even after it becomes evident that her troubled past sometimes causes her to be self-destructive. This novel is about real kids dealing with the pressures of growing up and feeling indestructible. Listeners will be riveted as the friends band together to deal with the catastrophic events that plague their junior year, and rejoice at their triumphs." 

Carhart, J. (2007). Looking for Alaska. School Library Journal, 53(2), 63.

My Impressions:
It's hard to express the impact Looking for Alaska had on me. I suppose there’s really no easy place to start, but I’ll do my best. Despite the constant bombardment of John Green and his brilliance (with The Fault in Our Stars infiltrating all of social existence), I had yet to read a novel of his when I picked up Looking for Alaska. I’m not normally a contrarian, but in the case of John Green, I’d become skeptical of his popularity and assured in my own ignorance of his over-hyped-ness. Boy was I wrong to wait in reading one of his novels. I can honestly say that Looking for Alaska left a mark on my heart that will not soon be erased and, ultimately, I find it safe to say that Green’s writing breathed new life into young adult literature for me. Enough gushing though, what’s so great about this book?!

While it’s tough to sum up so much depth in a few, measly paragraphs, the word that immediately comes to mind is raw. Looking for Alaska shows, in all its grittiness and false glamour, the realities of growing up and the difficulty in learning to deal with your own personal demons while battling those of the people surrounding you. The protagonist, Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter, is a brutally realistic teen who has a pea-sized amount of his life figured out, and his new friends aren’t any better. When Pudge is thrust into the madness of a new school, his head literally spins out of control trying to keep up with his new peers and the ride is so bumpy and twisting, you almost get nauseous just reading it. However, just like a roller coaster, the thrill far outweighs the discomfort, and you can’t help but continuing to ride along. It’s fantastic!

John Green weaves an intricate story of teens in search of purpose by throwing the reader completely into their world, awkwardness and disillusionment included. Mischievous behavior, lusty dreams, and expletives abound. While those things can easily be dismissed in most YA novels as plot devices and false bravado intended to lure teens into reading, in Looking for Alaska, they aptly create an entirely plausible reality of being a teen.  Between my laughs, exclamations, and tears I consistently found myself thinking, “Wow! This so perfectly captures the real teen experience rather than an adult-imagined version of teens these days,” and that’s awesome.Teens are potential-filled wonders, and they deserve to be treated as such. Looking for Alaska accomplishes that task.

Looking for Alaska faces the flaws of being human head on. From tackling unexpected loss to the struggle of personal inconsistency, this novel beautifully explores the highs and lows of attempting to overcome our flaws. It takes you through the devastation you feel when you can’t overcome them and the triumph you feel when you can. While you’re busy looking for Alaska, I guarantee you will find yourself somewhere along the way.

Library Use:
Thinking of my future 8th grade students who are soon to embark on high school, Looking for Alaska could be used as a grade level reading assignment that's examined in conjunction with issues of self-growth and discovery likely to be experienced or experimented with in high school. Given the nature of the book, dealing with peer pressure, substance use/abuse, and suicide, discussions could be had and action steps taken to handle those issues. For instance, a librarian could teach students how to find help resources like websites, meeting groups, and hotlines. Discussing Looking for Alaska is an opportunity to teach students how to report worrisome or dangerous incidents privately and anonymously through safe outlets and to trusted adults. Practice scenarios and role-playing could be conducted to demonstrate how to handle situations similar to those in Looking for Alaska.   

Module 1: Miss Rumphius

Summary: 
Miss Rumphius is a beautiful story of a woman who accepts a three-part challenge from her wise grandfather to travel the world, live by the sea, and leave a legacy of beauty behind her. As Alice Rumphius grows into adulthood, her goals of travel and residence take shape quite easily. It's the final goal of making the world more beautiful that Alice struggles to accomplish. As she grows further in age, Miss Rumphius stumbles upon her favorite flower, the lupine, and realizes how the scattering of seeds allows for wildflowers to pop up of their own accord. Charging herself with the mission of spreading the lupines' beauty throughout her world, Miss Rumphius, or the Lupine Lady as she becomes known, scatters lupine seeds everywhere she walks and soon the world around her is littered with the gorgeous lupine blooms. Retelling the story of her life to her great-niece, Miss Rumphius, challenges her grand-niece to set goals of her own and to make the world beautiful as well. 

Cooney, B. (1982). Miss Rumphius. New York: Viking.

Review: Kirkus Reviews
"You might almost believe that Barbara Cooney had a Great-Aunt Alice Rumphius who did just as we read here--else why go to the trouble of spinning out a yarn, composed of transparent storybook motifs (an elderly grandfather who carves ships' figureheads; travels to exotic places; a solitary cottage by the sea), just to arrive at an old lady who strews lupine seeds about? Ostensibly, she's fulfilling her promise to her grandfather to "do something to make the world more beautiful"; in Barbara Cooney's precisionist Maine coast pictures, the drifts of lupine blooms are a tribute to the lupine lady per se. It's a lovely notion, in short, if not much (or too much) of a story." [Oct. 11, 1983]

Cooney, B. (1982). Miss Rumphius [Review of the book Miss Rumphius, by Kirkus Staff]. Kirkus Reviews, 50.  

My Impressions: 
Miss Rumphius is a breathtaking experience. The detail and colors of the illustrations are gorgeous and truly evoke the brightness and life in each to the locations visited. The lesson of the book is what I really appreciate though. While many picture books have direct teachings with a specific purpose, Miss Rumphius lets the reader think about their own life in their own terms. It allows you to shape the lessons of accomplishing goals and making the world more beautiful in ways that create a unique path for yourself. That level of universal application to all readers makes Miss Rumphius an enduring classic. Also, I enjoyed how the story takes you to so many unfamiliar places and yet maintains a sense of comfort. You experience the soft determination of Miss Rumphius as she steadily and deliberately approaches her life with purpose void of urgency. The tranquility of the book pulled me into Miss Rumphius's world and left me with a sense of energetic peace where I felt I could take on the world confidently and one step at a time. 

Library Use: 
Miss Rumphius could be used as an introduction to personal life goal-setting. The lessons of Miss Rumphius beautifully introduces the idea of acting in such a way that you leave the world a better place. Used as a jumping off point to the importance of leaving a smart digital footprint,Miss Rumphius gives insight into what general goals look like and illustrates the power of approaching your life with purpose. As students wrap themselves in the digital world around them, they need to learn skills for putting things (text, pictures, videos, etc.) into the world and onto the Internet that leave a legacy of which they can feel proud.