While some books prompt readers to race to their final pages in order to find out what happens to the protagonist or how the story ends, other books may not be as engaging or provide the same reading pleasure. Their fate may involve being left on the couch or table or even being put back, unread, on the bookshelf. Then there are those other, often rare, titles, the ones that stay with readers long after they have reached the book’s conclusion. Perhaps the characters or their actions intrigue us—or maybe we wonder about some of the issues raised or themes explored within the book’s covers. For whatever reason it may be, there are books that cause us to pause from our daily tasks or even postpone picking up the next book as we linger with the one we just finished, reading some lines again and again or simply sitting quietly and thinking about the issues raised or themes explored within those book covers. Members of the International Reading Association Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group explore books that made us linger in this week’s reviews.
GRADES K-3
Carbone, Elisa. (2012). Heroes of the surf: A rescue story based on true events. Illus. by Nancy Carpenter. New York: Viking.
This picture book is based on the true story of the British steamship Pliny which runs aground off the coast of New Jersey in 1882 en route from Brazil to New York. Anthony and his friend Pedro are jolted awake in the middle of the night when their ship hits a shoal near the coast during a raging storm. Just a few hours earlier the boys were playing pirate on the deck of the ship. As the ship is thrown onto the shoal where the lifeboats are shattered and become useless, the captain sends a signal flare that is sighted by the Long Branch Life Saving Station. The rescuers fire their cannon to shoot life-saving equipment toward the stranded passengers. One by one, they are hauled to safety via a breeches buoy. The scratch-line drawings darken as the storm gathers energy and the sea boils with whitecaps and driving rain. An afterword provides the back story of these forerunners of the U.S. Coast Guard. This will be a wonderful companion to the author’s novel for older readers, Storm Warriors (2002). Learn more at the author’s website.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Deedy, Carmen Agra. (2012). Return of the library dragon. Illus. by Michael P. White. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers.
As eventually happens to even the most dedicated librarians, Miss Lotty, the devoted minder of books at Sunrise Elementary School, decides that it is time to retire. But when Mike Krochip reveals his plans to create Media World and replace all the books with e-readers, Miss Lotty has second thoughts. In this follow-up to the earlier The Library Dragon (1994), Miss Lotty's long-dormant dragon nature flickers to life over the plans to change her library. Just when disaster is imminent, an older Molly Brickmeyer, the girl who tamed the Library Dragon years ago, arrives to save the day. The airbrushed illustrations are filled with rich colors and provide wonderful perspectives; for instance, the body of Mike Krochip is much smaller than his hand as he reaches out to introduce himself, practically touching the book’s reader. The book is pun-filled as a result of the characters’ names and some of the book titles that appear in the colorful images. Bibliophiles who prefer to read books the old fashioned way rather than on Nooks or Kindles are likely to smile at all the tributes from children about the merits of real books while wondering if physical books eventually will become things of the past. Will this title, too, be available for an e-reader?
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Fern, Tracy. (2012). Barnum’s bones: How Barnum Brown discovered the most famous dinosaur in the world. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Barnum Brown, who lived from 1873 to 1963 and worked for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, was one of the world’s most well-known paleontologists. Hoping their son would achieve greatness like his namesake, his parents named him after the great circus magnate, P.T. Barnum. From childhood, Brown was fascinated with rocks and fossils and started a collection at an early age. As he matured, so did his interest in fossils, particularly dinosaurs. He was sent on several digs to collect specimens. After many years in the field, he discovered an intact skull, and then, much later, the entire skeleton of a species he called Tyrannosaurus Rex. Barnum’s zest for life and his enthusiasm for bone hunting make him a colorful and energetic character around whom to develop lessons about dinosaurs. Since young children are often fascinated with dinosaurs, this book lends credibility to the dreams of all those budding paleontologists. Author’s notes and a bibliography are part of the back matter. Teachers may be interested in downloading a teacher’s guide and viewing more dinosaur links at the author’s website. Background information on Barnum Brown can be found on YouTube. Teachers might also like to try the Book Buddy Biographies found at ReadWriteThink.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Grady, Cynthia. (2012). I lay my stitches down: Poems of American slavery. Illus. by Michele Wood. New York: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
A quote from author Gary Soto found on the author’s website speaks volumes about what poetry can do: “Poems should feed into other poems – a needle passing a stitch through cloth.” Grady has crafted poetry and folk art quilts into a thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated collection of poems that reflect experiences during slavery, an important part of American history. Each poem consists of 10 lines with 10 syllables in each line. This free verse poetry matches the patterns of the quilt block squares illustrating each poem. In addition, the verse reflects music, spirituality and fiber art that depict the three layers necessary for creating a quilt. Each poem honors the voice of a different person who experienced some aspect of slavery: a blacksmith, a runaway slave, the Underground Railroad, the auction block, among others. The author has included a paragraph alongside each poem that explains the historical background of each poem’s voice. The illustrations vividly complement each poem while visually depicting the African American culture of the time. Teachers might like to use the discussion guide found on the publisher’s website.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Helfer, Ralph. (2012). The world’s greatest lion. Illus. by Ted Lewin. New York: Penguin/Philomel.
In the past, wild animals trained to appear in TV shows and films were often treated cruelly in order to make them malleable. But this true story of the relationship between an animal trainer who used affection rather than intimidation to train the animals with whom he worked shows that there was a better way to handle animals, even the king of beasts. Left without parents as a cub, Zamba was rescued, raised in a sanctuary, and then later taken to the United States where he learned to coexist peacefully with other animals and humans. This picture book describes his training and one incident that showed just how well the lion had been trained. Flood waters unexpectedly threaten the animals, but Zamba leads them from the wreckage to safety under an old oak tree where they wait for their human caretaker. The watercolor illustrations and heart-tugging story inspire curiosity about Zamba, his caretaker, and the relationships between humans and other animals. Anyone interested in this title will probably want to read Zamba: The True Story of the Greatest Lion that Ever Lived (2006), the book for adults on which this version of Zamba’s story for children is based.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Hoberman, Mary Ann (Selector). (2012). Forget-me-nots: Poems to learn by heart. Illus. by Michael Emberley. New York: Little, Brown.
The nation’s former Poet Laureate (2008-2010) has chosen 120 poems for this beautifully illustrated anthology. Interested in encouraging readers to memorize the poems, the poet says her criteria for inclusion were poems that were both “easy to remember” and “worth remembering.” The book opens with “The Short of it,” containing short, easy-to- memorize poems. Other sections are “Poems from Storybooks,” “Sad and Sorrowful,” “Weather and Seasons,” “Strange and Mysterious,” to name just a few. The volume contains poems written by well-known poets and novices as well as classic and contemporary poems. Indexes at the end of the book are helpful for searching for a title, and readers will appreciate Hoberman’s suggestions and tips for how to memorize a poem. The pencil, pastel and watercolor illustrations enhance the poetry, adding to the meaning and sometimes forming the connection among a handful of poems through his drawings. Interested readers might want to learn more about this title at the Poetry for Children blog. They might also enjoy listening to Hoberman discuss writing poetry at Teaching Books.net.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Maclear, Kyo. (2012). Virginia Wolf. Illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.
This picture book is based on the lives of famous writer Virginia Woolf and her older sister, painter Vanessa Bell. One day Virginia wakes up and feels wolfish, making wolf sounds and acting strangely. In the accompanying mixed media illustrations of ink, pencil, watercolor and gouache, children will notice that Virginia is in bed with the covers pulled high, disguised like a wolf. In addition, her bedroom floor looks as though a tornado has swept through the room. In order to change Virginia’s mood, Vanessa tries just about everything: painting a picture, wearing her favorite dress, offering treats and making faces, but still, Virginia exclaims, “LEAVE ME ALONE.” After a while, Vanessa lies down beside her sister on the bed and asks where she would like to fly. Virginia then begins to paint a beautiful place where there are no doldrums. This perfect place has candy blossoms, purple butterflies, lollipop trees and fields to roam in. Virginia’s mood finally changes from down to up. In one of the final illustrations the wolf masquerade is clarified. All children have gloomy, grumpy, or growly days and will be able to relate to this humorous and exquisitely illustrated book.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. (2012). Chopsticks. Illus. by Scott Magoon. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
In similar witty fashion to this creative team’s earlier Spoon (2009), they depict the lives of two close eating utensils. Filled with clever wordplay (Knife “was sharp that way.”) and visual humor ("Chopstick was quickly whisked away.") that shows one chopstick being carried off by a whisk after a tricky move involving some asparagus, this picture book cleverly explores what happens when an injury to one of two inseparable friends leads to their separation. At first, the healthy chopstick remains loyally by his friend’s bedside, but eventually, with some firm nudging from his friend who is healing, he sets off on his own. When he returns, having expanded his horizons, the bond between the two is even stronger. The digital art and the positive messages about learning to stand on your own while also remaining steadfastly loyal to a friend gently and humorously remind readers that change can be good. Read this interview with Amy Krouse Rosenthal from the IRA Engage Teacher to Teacher blog.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Serres, Alain. (2012). I have the right to be a child. Illus. by Aurelia Fronty. Translated by Helen Mixter. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
In folk-like, colorful illustrations, children from around the world state the rights they are entitled to: the right to go to school, to have clean drinking water, to be free from violence, to breathe pure air, to refuse to work (child labor), to express themselves, to play, and to be protected from wars and other disasters. Although many children in the United States might question why these rights they take for granted need to be expressed in the form of a formal declaration, this book encourages teachers to use global picture books to explain how conditions are not the same throughout the world. It is also interesting to note that the United States is one of the few countries in the United Nations that has not signed this convention declaration, prompting readers to ask why and possibly conduct research into the nation’s reasons for not doing so. Readers may be interested in learning more about the UNICEF Convention on The Rights of the Child at the UNICEF website. Teachers might also like to use the book trailer to introduce the book.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Wilson, Tony. (2012). The princess and the packet of frozen peas. Illus. by Sue deGennaro. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers.
While he’d like to marry one day or at least have a girlfriend, Prince Henrik is sure that he doesn’t want to follow his brother’s example. His sister-in-law, Princess Eva, is a real piece of work, demanding and moody, and while Prince Hans loves her, she is simply too sensitive to be easily pleased. Rather than a real princess who seems to be so high maintenance, Prince Henrik figures he'd be better off with someone who is her opposite. In order to weed out the contenders for his affection, he concocts a plan involving a packet of frozen peas, one thin mattress, and an old sleeping bag. No one passes his test until an old friend, Pippa, spends the day and night and uses the peas as an ice pack. Finally, Henrik has the princess of his dreams, and while she’s less than sensitive to lumpy mattresses, she is certainly able to improvise and relish the same things her Prince Charming does. The story makes it clear that there are different bonds that cement relationships. The characters’ personalities are captured perfectly in the simple collage, gouache, and pencil illustrations.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
GRADES 4-7
Ellis, Deborah. (2012). My name is Parvana. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press.
This riveting sequel to the Breadwinner series continues Parvana’s journey after foreign countries defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. Written in a captivating manner, two stories are conveyed and later connected. In one story, Parvana is being interrogated by foreigners and held in a jail cell. The other discusses a girls’ school where Parvana’s mother is headmistress, sister Nooria is a teacher and Parvana and siblings attend to learn. During her captivity, Parvana is able to send her mind somewhere else, ignoring the questioning by reciting multiplication facts. She devours books from a Major and Corporal and suggests that MREs have poems on the packaging. When the base is attacked, a young soldier cries uncontrollably underneath her cell window, and in an act similar to the window woman in the first book in this series, she reaches out to him. Parvana’s family helps rebuild Afghanistan by educating young girls, yet some people prefer tradition over progress. Even though the Prophet Muhammad says in the Holy Qur’an that all are called to be educated, women and men alike, the old system of beliefs and values continues. Although young fans of Parvana and this series will be satisfied to discover what happens to Parvana and her family, this could easily be a stand-alone book. By purchasing this amazing book, readers will help support education projects for Afghan women and children. For more about the author, read this Deborah Ellis Reading Today Online interview from this spring.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Leeds, Constance. (2012). The unfortunate son. New York: Viking Juvenile.
Born with only one ear in late fifteenth century France, Luc is cast aside by his noble father, and the boy ends up being raised by peasants. When Luc can no longer bear the abuse in his home, he finds a more welcoming home with Pons, a fisherman, and his sister Mattie, who is a skilled wood carver. They share their home with Beatrice, the daughter of a disgraced knight. Just when Luc’s luck seems to have changed, he is kidnapped by pirates, and then sold as a slave to Salah, a wealthy scholar who takes him under his wing and encourages him to view the world differently. Meanwhile, Beatrice relentlessly presses Louis, Luc's brother, to search for him. Even while Louis remains convinced that the search is pointless and he has no living brother, he continues the search. This engaging page-turner prompts readers to reconsider the concept of luck. All the events that befall the main character might seem to be misfortunes, but when taken together, they all lead him exactly to where he needs to be. Without all those bad events, it's unlikely that the truth about his lineage would ever have been revealed, and a happy ending written. Perhaps then there would have been no story, and both Luc and the book's readers would have been out of luck.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Tate, Don. (2012). It jes’ happened: When Bill Traylor started to draw. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. New York: Lee & Low Books.
Born in 1854, Bill Traylor was a slave on an Alabama plantation during the Civil War but stayed on after Emancipation with his family as sharecroppers. Traylor spent his whole life on this farm, and at age 85, when he was the only remaining member of his family, he moved to Montgomery. Living in the city was difficult, and the only job he could find was selling pencils on the street where he was essentially homeless. While sitting on the city’s street corners, he started to draw scenes from his childhood, the plantation, and family life there or as the author repeats, the elderly Traylor, a self-taught artist, drew the “saved up memories of earlier times.” A young artist named Charles Shannon took notice of Traylor’s sidewalk art created on cardboard boxes or pieces of paper that he found in the streets. Shannon started to give Bill art supplies and even tried to arrange showings of Bill’s work. Although Shannon’s attempts were not successful at the time, by the 1970’s, years after Traylor’s death in 1949, Traylor’s work brought him recognition as a talented American folk artist. The book’s illustrations are the perfect choice to represent Traylor’s folk art style consisting of warm colors and humorous undertones. This book received the New Voices Award Honor book from its publisher. The author’s website contains a teacher’s guide, a book trailer, background information on Bill Traylor and even more.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Weiner, Ellis. (2012). The Templeton twins have an idea. Illus. by Jeremy Holmes. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Just about anyone with a sly sense of humor is sure to love this book and cry out for “More, please!” The basic plotline revolves around two sharp twins, Abigail and John Templeton, who are kidnapped by another set of twins, Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean in an attempt to blackmail their inventor father. One of the Deans is convinced that Professor Templeton stole his design years ago, and he is determined to get credit for it. Although the storyline and characters are interesting enough, what makes this title stand out is the narrator's voice. The narrator addresses the reader directly, making several false starts in telling the story and insisting in a placating fashion, "Let's Move On" (p. 9). In time-honored teacher fashion, the author has included at the end of the chapters review questions, including some T/F items with only one answer or directions to complete an activity that is next to impossible; for example, "Essay Question: Write an essay on how clever you think you are. It should be at least 500,000 words and in French. Well, go ahead" (p. 170). Once the exhausted narrator completes the story, he reminds readers of how hard he has worked, insisting "That I deserve a rest, and perhaps a snack, and some sort of recreational fun such as going to the movies or attending a play?" (p. 225). The accompanying artwork shines just as brightly as this highly original approach to storytelling with an all-knowing, all-seeing, always present narrator able to read readers’ minds and converse with them. If that intrusive narrator has anything to do with it, this one is sure to be a hit!
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
GRADES 8-12
Fradin, Dennis Brindell & Fradin, Judith Bloom. (2012). Zora!: The life of Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Clarion Books.
The real life of Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, a title now frequently taught in high school English classes, is regarded by some to be just as intriguing as the stories she wrote and the folktales she collected in the South as part of a research project for anthropologist Franz Boas. Clearly, some of the tales she wove around herself bear more than a passing resemblance to the tall tales she encountered on the road. Who can blame her for erasing years from her age once she finally had the chance to attend college or socialize with individuals much younger than her? Even as a child, Zora was smart and imaginative, and readers are sure to reflect upon how her spirit remained unbroken by the disappointments in her life. Teens will understand her anger at her father for his quick remarriage after her mother's death and be inspired by her determination to write despite so many rejection notices. In telling the complex Zora’s life story, the authors show her resilience, highlighting her strengths and her weaknesses. Details such as the fact that many of her manuscripts were accidentally burned will heighten reader interest in Hurston’s words. The book is filled with photographs of Zora and the famous men and women with whom she worked and socialized, and the final pages force readers to consider what might have been as Hurston ends her days, almost penniless and forgotten.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Kephart, Beth (2012). Small damages. New York: Penguin/Philomel.
Senior year and the end of high school are filled with unexpected events for eighteen-year-old Kenzie Spitzer. Not only does her father die, but her mother moves on by starting a catering business. Kenzie counts on her Yale-bound boyfriend Kevin to help her deal with her loss, but he disappoints Kenzie once she realizes that she is pregnant. To hide the pregnancy and to allow a wealthy couple to adopt the child, Kenzie's mother ships her off to Spain. As Kenzie languishes in Spain, feeling banished and miserable, she bonds more and more with the life that is growing inside her as well as with Esteban, a solitary young man who prefers birds and horses to most humans. Estela, the elderly, curmudgeonly cook for the ranch where she is staying, turns out to have surprising commonalities with Kenzie. The author’s carefully chosen words evoke Seville's heat, its architectural treasures, and the foods prepared in that region of Spain. The author has high expectations for her readers as they must make their way back and forth in time, trying to make sense of relationships and context. The book's ending will prompt much discussion about choices that are easily made and easily regretted, and a lifetime of so-called “small” damages that turn out not to be so small, after all.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Kindl, Patrice. (2012). Keeping the castle. New York: Viking Juvenile.
This book could only have been set in the 19th century, and fans of Jane Austen are likely to relish this delicious little story of family love and self-sacrifice. Seventeen-year-old Althea Crawley knows it is up to her to insure her family’s welfare by marrying well. They live in a ramshackle castle in much need of repair and whimsically built on unstable ground. The castle’s foundation is a fitting metaphor for Althea’s own aspirations since no thoughts of love enter her considerations for fitting marital partners. The deaths of her father and stepfather leave the family in poor financial straits with Althea regarding herself as the only bait with which to attract a wealthy suitor. Despite her best intentions, though, Althea is beautiful and outspoken, and her tendency to speak her mind has put more than one suitor off. Nevertheless, Althea uses her charms and looks to set a trap for a wealthy neighbor to whom she feels some attraction while fending off the incivility of his best friend. There is witty repartee aplenty in the exchanges between the eventually happy couple. Austen fans won't be surprised that the man Althea thinks she loves ends up disappointing her while the boorish friend develops a fondness for her personality rather than her looks. Sometimes it is deeply satisfying when everyone ends up happily ever after, especially women such as Althea whose intended self-sacrifice might have precluded any marital happiness for her.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Price, Charlie. (2011). Desert angel. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Fourteen-year-old Angel is running away from her mom’s crazy boyfriend who has killed and buried her mother. Scotty captures Angel and proceeds to handcuff, suffocate and set her on fire. Miraculously she escapes and walks for miles in the scorching desert for help. Angel is skeptical of involving the police because they have never helped in the past and she fears being returned to foster care. Fortunately, she meets a family who listens to her story and hides and assists her. Unaware that her mom’s killer has located her hiding place, Angel decides to hunt for him so that she doesn’t become a victim. This spunky teenager learns to let her guard down and become part of a loving family. In the mean time her stalker leaves some simple clues that he is watching her and harms some of her new friends. Angel then methodically finds the man who has made her life a living hell. Young adolescents will read this novel to the bitter end to find out what happens to Desert Angel.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Vivian, Siobhan. (2012). The list. New York: Scholastic Publishers/Push.
Each year right before homecoming at Mount Washington High School, the list of the prettiest and the ugliest girl in each grade level appears, naming one each from the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class. Copies of the list are papered all over school so that no one can miss them. No one knows the creator of the list. By turns, the author takes readers into the lives and thoughts of the eight girls on the list and how being named to the list affects them and how they react to being identified as prettiest or ugliest. The creator of the list even described one of the ugly girls as pretty on the outside but ugly on the inside. Prevalent teen issues such as self-esteem, anorexia, female athleticism, and geekiness are tackled within the story line. Readers watch as the girls’ friends and boyfriends respond to the list and some of the girls even start to become social outcasts. The list even draws in parents and siblings as family dynamics come into play in various ways. The list causes changes in each girl in one way or another while the school principal determinedly tries to find the person responsible for the list. The author drew her inspiration for this character-driven story from a school where a similar list appears each year. Teachers and teens might enjoy this interview with the author. Teachers might also like the Girls Read: Online Literature suggestions found at ReadWriteThink.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant