BIBLIOGRAPHY
LaFaye, Alexandria. 2004. WORTH. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0689857306.
PLOT SUMMARY
Nathaniel lives in Nebraska at a time when farms are in direct competition with ranches, and orphans from big cities get shipped west on Orphan Trains to find a new life elsewhere. He is lucky to live there with his mom and dad, working their farm. Then there is an accident and his leg is injured. Since his dad needs help on the farm, and Nathan is no longer able to work, a boy named John Worth comes from an Orphan Train to live with them and do Nathaniel’s work on the farm. He is a city boy, not used to farm work, not sure how to do it, and not welcomed by Nathaniel. By realizing they do have similarities, and that each of them has something worthwhile to offer, they finally are able to work together to help each other and their community over come the conflicts that threaten their livelihoods and families.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Author Alexandria LaFaye uses the diction and social values of the time to compliment the stories she tells about differences and about relationships without disturbing the flow of the story. Tools, farm jobs, schooling and death are discussed in a specific historical context while the two protagonists struggle to find a way to share their common ground and overcome their losses. Unfortunately, the emotional reactions of Nathaniel’s father and of John Worth are not deeply explored at many of the most relevant junctures in the book, leaving this aspect of the characters to be mined by teachers and intelligent readers alike. In fact, the family's lack of compassion and anger toward John Worth in the first part of the story are a bit off-putting because of their realistic intensity.
The relationships between characters –Nathaniel and his father after the accident, Nathaniel’s mother and father disagreeing over cattle, Horaces’s disregard for the way his actions in the school yard and on the farms hurt the people around him—are realistic and thought-provoking. They offer added awareness of the motivations and fears behind much of the historically-rooted plot. Unfortunately, no bibliography of reference materials is included in the book for cross-referencing fact vs fiction. Only a short commentary from the author on the book jacket clarifies that “I’d read about the Orphan Train and felt sympathy for those kids who were plopped down in a whole new world…” The benefit is that LaFaye has written the book from a young boy’s perspective, making it easier for preteens to connect with the history and the families described.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Horn Book: “Each boy wants what the other has, and both boys yearn for the love of their fathers--John's is dead, Nate's is emotionally distant… Heroic stories of ancient Greek mythology and a violent feud being waged among Nate's neighbors both work in the boys' conciliation, giving this short tale a quietly epic as well as an ordinary sweep.”
Starred Review, Booklist: “LaFaye's novel is one of the first to tell the Orphan Train story from the viewpoint of a kid displaced by a newcomer… ate's angry first-person narrative is brutally honest, and, at first, he is bitterly resentful of John, an orphan who lost his family in a New York City tenement fire: “Just 'cause he lost his father didn't mean he had a right to mine.” Through Nate's narrative comes a sense of the grueling daily work, the family struggle to try to hold on to the land and avoid failure. In addition, there's some late-nineteenth-century history about the local wars between cattle ranchers (who want grazing land) and farmers (who need room for crops).”
CONNECTIONS
==> Great inclusion in a middle school history class for added interest and to discuss the nuances of the rancher/farmer disputes.
==> Use this book in bibliotherapy to discuss feelings of anger, displacement, abandonment, resentment, survivor guilt, and misunderstandings.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The Last Princess
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stanley, Fay. THE LAST PRINCESS: THE STORY OF PRINCESS KA’IULANI of HAWAI’I. Ill. by Diane Stanley. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 0688180205
PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of the last princess in Hawai’i’s line of royalty. With a name meaning “the royal sacred one,” Ka’iulani was raised from birth knowing she would one day rule her people. To this end, she was given the best tutors, and was sent away to a private university in England. From the pictures we learn that it was not at all unusual for a woman to hold positions of power in Hawai’i at this time in history. Although she died at the age of 23, Ka’iulani worked hard to be a leader of her people even after Hawai’i was annexed to the United States in 1898.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Writer Fay Stanley and illustrator Diane Stanley work together seamlessly to provide a full picture of the last Hawai’ian princess’s childhood, and of her return to her country in its time of need. Written simply, and with the occasional nod to Hawai’ian customs and linguistics, THE LAST PRINCESS is a shallow biography of her life and experiences. Historical and geographical information is provided in one-page prologue and epilogue sections. The illustrator also does a great job of clarifying that the illustrations are imagined rather than factual, including useful information about political customs, local flora, and familial ties within the royal family as well.
REVIEW EXCERPT
The Horn Book: “The story sheds new light on long-forgotten history; the vibrant gouache illustrations establish the lush Hawaiian background and provide historic detail.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping-off point for discussing the unique race relations evident in the royal family of Hawai’i. Look at the marriage standards and rules for becoming the ruler in other royal families of this time period. Discuss what Ka’iulani’s experiences might have been like in Europe during her time there.
==> Talk about choices, courage, and responsibility. Why did she go to Washington D.C.? Why did she return to the islands? Do you think getting sick and dieing was also a decision she made? What other choices and responsibilities did Ka’iulani deal with in her lifetime? What sort of choices do you deal with in YOUR life? How do they effect the people around you?
Stanley, Fay. THE LAST PRINCESS: THE STORY OF PRINCESS KA’IULANI of HAWAI’I. Ill. by Diane Stanley. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 0688180205
PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of the last princess in Hawai’i’s line of royalty. With a name meaning “the royal sacred one,” Ka’iulani was raised from birth knowing she would one day rule her people. To this end, she was given the best tutors, and was sent away to a private university in England. From the pictures we learn that it was not at all unusual for a woman to hold positions of power in Hawai’i at this time in history. Although she died at the age of 23, Ka’iulani worked hard to be a leader of her people even after Hawai’i was annexed to the United States in 1898.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Writer Fay Stanley and illustrator Diane Stanley work together seamlessly to provide a full picture of the last Hawai’ian princess’s childhood, and of her return to her country in its time of need. Written simply, and with the occasional nod to Hawai’ian customs and linguistics, THE LAST PRINCESS is a shallow biography of her life and experiences. Historical and geographical information is provided in one-page prologue and epilogue sections. The illustrator also does a great job of clarifying that the illustrations are imagined rather than factual, including useful information about political customs, local flora, and familial ties within the royal family as well.
REVIEW EXCERPT
The Horn Book: “The story sheds new light on long-forgotten history; the vibrant gouache illustrations establish the lush Hawaiian background and provide historic detail.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping-off point for discussing the unique race relations evident in the royal family of Hawai’i. Look at the marriage standards and rules for becoming the ruler in other royal families of this time period. Discuss what Ka’iulani’s experiences might have been like in Europe during her time there.
==> Talk about choices, courage, and responsibility. Why did she go to Washington D.C.? Why did she return to the islands? Do you think getting sick and dieing was also a decision she made? What other choices and responsibilities did Ka’iulani deal with in her lifetime? What sort of choices do you deal with in YOUR life? How do they effect the people around you?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Voyage of the Frog
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Paulsen, Gary. 1989. THE VOYAGE OF THE FROG. New York, NY: Dell Yearling. ISBN: 0440403642.
PLOT SUMMARY
David's uncle, Owen, has died very suddenly from cancer. His last request is that his ashes be spread in the ocean, out of sight of land. To do this, 14 year old David must take Owen's sailboat, The Frog, out of the harbor, and into the Pacific Ocean off the California coastline-- alone. Although David's parents know where he is going and why, and David spent many happy days with Owen on the boat, nobody expected the violent storm that hit the next morning.
Away from land, low on food, and dependent on his boat and himself, David spends the next few weeks learning to appreciate what he has. Whales occasionally keep him company. A shark mistakes the moon on his boat for an injured fish, and his stomach shrinks as David rations out his food. In the end, he is forced to make a difficult decision-- will he rely on the skills and tools that have gotten him this far, or will he abandon his new found strength for the safety of a sure trip home to his folks? Although Uncle Owen will always be a part of the Frog for David, he comes to realize that the Frog is now a part of him, too.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Paulson's awareness of the math and geographical knowledge that are required to survive this dangerous adventure, as well as his detailed descriptions of the arduous way his protagonist, David, must push the sail cloth out of the cabin with only one working arm all help to bring this believable story to life. Readers can envision David standing on the deck, waiving his candle at the disappearing oil tanker, or pulling his head back over the railing in fear of the shark that has randomly attacked.
The author always makes it clear how his protagonist comes to have the information he needs not only to survive, but to understand the world he now sees around him. Even with a good wind in his sails, David must stop and eat, drink, or put on protective warm clothing and a life jacket at times. The grief, and the experience of grief as described in this novel are also masterfully explored, from the gagging smell of the hospital room, to the anger of being hungry when food exists, but cannot be eaten.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "Three-time Newbery Honor author Paulsen provides another action-filled survival story, as a storm strands 14-year-old David when he attempts to fulfill his late uncle's last wish by piloting his sailboat. Ages 10-14."
School Library Journal: "Paulsen's spare prose offers an affecting blend of the boy's inner thoughts and keen observations of the power of nature to destroy and to heal."
CONNECTIONS
Paulsen, Gary. 1989. THE VOYAGE OF THE FROG. New York, NY: Dell Yearling. ISBN: 0440403642.
PLOT SUMMARY
David's uncle, Owen, has died very suddenly from cancer. His last request is that his ashes be spread in the ocean, out of sight of land. To do this, 14 year old David must take Owen's sailboat, The Frog, out of the harbor, and into the Pacific Ocean off the California coastline-- alone. Although David's parents know where he is going and why, and David spent many happy days with Owen on the boat, nobody expected the violent storm that hit the next morning.
Away from land, low on food, and dependent on his boat and himself, David spends the next few weeks learning to appreciate what he has. Whales occasionally keep him company. A shark mistakes the moon on his boat for an injured fish, and his stomach shrinks as David rations out his food. In the end, he is forced to make a difficult decision-- will he rely on the skills and tools that have gotten him this far, or will he abandon his new found strength for the safety of a sure trip home to his folks? Although Uncle Owen will always be a part of the Frog for David, he comes to realize that the Frog is now a part of him, too.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Paulson's awareness of the math and geographical knowledge that are required to survive this dangerous adventure, as well as his detailed descriptions of the arduous way his protagonist, David, must push the sail cloth out of the cabin with only one working arm all help to bring this believable story to life. Readers can envision David standing on the deck, waiving his candle at the disappearing oil tanker, or pulling his head back over the railing in fear of the shark that has randomly attacked.
The author always makes it clear how his protagonist comes to have the information he needs not only to survive, but to understand the world he now sees around him. Even with a good wind in his sails, David must stop and eat, drink, or put on protective warm clothing and a life jacket at times. The grief, and the experience of grief as described in this novel are also masterfully explored, from the gagging smell of the hospital room, to the anger of being hungry when food exists, but cannot be eaten.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: "Three-time Newbery Honor author Paulsen provides another action-filled survival story, as a storm strands 14-year-old David when he attempts to fulfill his late uncle's last wish by piloting his sailboat. Ages 10-14."
School Library Journal: "Paulsen's spare prose offers an affecting blend of the boy's inner thoughts and keen observations of the power of nature to destroy and to heal."
CONNECTIONS
- Discuss the different pieces of knowledge that David needed to survive his adventure. How did he learn them? (not just from a book-- observation, working on the boat with Owen, listening to stories...)
- Use this book as a hook for exploring the life of mariners in the times before radio communication and radar navigational tools. Topics could include food, rations, service on ships, punishments and crimes, navigation, risk-taking, different types of vessels, etc.
House Without a Christmas Tree
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rock, Gail. 1974. THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE. Ill by Charles C. Gehm. New York, NY: Dell Publishing. ISBN: 0440433940.
PLOT SUMMARY
In this short story about the many different kinds of love, Addie, an intelligent fifth-grader, is looking forward to Christmas. She and her classmates buy each other gifts, with a fifty-cent limit on cost, decorate the class tree, and discuss who likes who and who doesn't. While Addie isn't much worried about playing the lead angel in the Church play, she is worried that her father won't let her have a Christmas Tree again this year. Living with her grandmother and her dad, Addie doesn't know much about her mom, who died soon after she was born. It turns out that the love her dad still feels for her mom has a lot to do with the decisions he makes about their daughter, and about the Christmas Tree.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Although somewhat predictable and moralistic, this book does a great job of encouraging children to look at their relationships with others, and about the different ways we do and do not express love in those relationships. It also has a firm setting in the time just after the Depression, 1946, when fifty cents is enough to buy a pair of gloves, and people still saved the tin foil from cigarette boxes. The author, Gail Rock, acknowledges the story as somewhat autobiographical, set in a small farm town in Nebraska, commemorating "that special Christmas in 1946, when I was ten years old."
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Originally created as a Holiday Television Special, and available in print outside the US for many years prior to its publication here in the States, reviews of the book are difficult to procure.
CONNECTIONS
Rock, Gail. 1974. THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE. Ill by Charles C. Gehm. New York, NY: Dell Publishing. ISBN: 0440433940.
PLOT SUMMARY
In this short story about the many different kinds of love, Addie, an intelligent fifth-grader, is looking forward to Christmas. She and her classmates buy each other gifts, with a fifty-cent limit on cost, decorate the class tree, and discuss who likes who and who doesn't. While Addie isn't much worried about playing the lead angel in the Church play, she is worried that her father won't let her have a Christmas Tree again this year. Living with her grandmother and her dad, Addie doesn't know much about her mom, who died soon after she was born. It turns out that the love her dad still feels for her mom has a lot to do with the decisions he makes about their daughter, and about the Christmas Tree.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Although somewhat predictable and moralistic, this book does a great job of encouraging children to look at their relationships with others, and about the different ways we do and do not express love in those relationships. It also has a firm setting in the time just after the Depression, 1946, when fifty cents is enough to buy a pair of gloves, and people still saved the tin foil from cigarette boxes. The author, Gail Rock, acknowledges the story as somewhat autobiographical, set in a small farm town in Nebraska, commemorating "that special Christmas in 1946, when I was ten years old."
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Originally created as a Holiday Television Special, and available in print outside the US for many years prior to its publication here in the States, reviews of the book are difficult to procure.
CONNECTIONS
- Talk about relationships-- how many different kinds of love are there? (from friendship to parent-child to others)
- A way to ease into discussing the history of the Depression, why people saved things that we'd consider trash today, like the tin foil lining in a cigarette box, or the way grandmother reuses a piece of fabric so many different ways...
Lucy Whipple
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 1996. THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0395728061.
PLOT SUMMARY
In this first-person historical novel, award-winning author Karen Cushman brings the California Gold Rush to life. Lucy, the protagonist, describes her experiences, and her reactions to them in a first-person narrative, interspersed with letters she writes to her grandparents back East. Readers get an idea of what kind of hardships people encountered on the trail of the elusive California gold, and what kinds of people took those risks. After Lucy’s father dies, her mother takes the four children to California, following his dream. They find a shanty town with a saloon, a boarding house, and only two other women. Summers are hot, winters are cold, and staying fed is a full-time job. The good news is that when true disaster strikes, everyone bands together to survive, and usually, they do.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cushman does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged, using a variety of unique facts, personal details about the situation and the characters, and a strong narrative voice. Not only does the reader learn fifty-two words for whiskey, but also that not everyone survives the hardships of the West. Young adults will easily identify with the young protagonist who doesn’t want to hunt and get dirty, and doesn’t understand why they left their comfortable home. Lucy (aka California) often asks why things have to change—and this is a very good universal question.
From her fear about forgetting her father’s features to her discovery that sometimes she does have the right answer, and it is her mother who has to do the listening, California Whipple experiences the difficulty and the pride of coming of age under difficult circumstances. To the reader’s great delight, this story’s backdrop is well-researched and detailed so clearly that the dry hot wind of the summer and the acrid stench of the fire that sweeps through town will parch readers throats as it does California’s. Additional universal themes include dealing with loss, death, self-absorbed adolescence, hard work, and making new friends.
It is so easy to get caught up in the storyline that learning about the reality and history of the gold rush along the way is unremarkable—an excellent trait in a historical novel for young adults. The storyline only seems to falter in its historical believability at the very end—when California Whipple is able to support herself as a librarian when even the general store has yet to be rebuilt, and all around her is poverty.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Cushman's heroine is a delightful character, and the historical setting is authentically portrayed. Lucy's story, as the author points out in her end notes, is the story of many pioneer women who exhibited great strength and courage as they helped to settle the West. The book is full of small details that children will love.”
Starred Review, Booklist: “Many readers will recognize their own dislocations in Lucy's reluctant adventure. In a vividly written afterword, Cushman places Lucy's personal narrative in its historical context.”
Publisher’s Weekly: “California rebels by renaming herself Lucy and by hoarding the gold dust and money she earns baking dried apple and vinegar pies, saving up for a journey home. Over years of toil and hardship, Lucy realizes, somewhat predictably, that home is wherever she makes one. As in her previous books, Newbery Award winner Cushman (The Midwife's Apprentice) proves herself a master at establishing atmosphere. Here she also renders serious social issues through sharply etched portraits: a runaway slave who has no name of his own, a preacher with a congregation of one, a raggedy child whose arms are covered in bruises.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as an introduction to a California Gold Rush history lesson.
==> Encourage readers to discuss their own experiences of moving to a new place or a new school, and the emotional hardships of change, loss, and starting over. Ask how this is the same or different, based on the historical context of California Whipple vs the state of California today.
==> Discuss how towns are formed, and research what happened to most gold mine towns over the years.
==> Research other stories about the lives and experiences of women, children, and other minorities in the unsettled West.
Cushman, Karen. 1996. THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0395728061.
PLOT SUMMARY
In this first-person historical novel, award-winning author Karen Cushman brings the California Gold Rush to life. Lucy, the protagonist, describes her experiences, and her reactions to them in a first-person narrative, interspersed with letters she writes to her grandparents back East. Readers get an idea of what kind of hardships people encountered on the trail of the elusive California gold, and what kinds of people took those risks. After Lucy’s father dies, her mother takes the four children to California, following his dream. They find a shanty town with a saloon, a boarding house, and only two other women. Summers are hot, winters are cold, and staying fed is a full-time job. The good news is that when true disaster strikes, everyone bands together to survive, and usually, they do.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cushman does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged, using a variety of unique facts, personal details about the situation and the characters, and a strong narrative voice. Not only does the reader learn fifty-two words for whiskey, but also that not everyone survives the hardships of the West. Young adults will easily identify with the young protagonist who doesn’t want to hunt and get dirty, and doesn’t understand why they left their comfortable home. Lucy (aka California) often asks why things have to change—and this is a very good universal question.
From her fear about forgetting her father’s features to her discovery that sometimes she does have the right answer, and it is her mother who has to do the listening, California Whipple experiences the difficulty and the pride of coming of age under difficult circumstances. To the reader’s great delight, this story’s backdrop is well-researched and detailed so clearly that the dry hot wind of the summer and the acrid stench of the fire that sweeps through town will parch readers throats as it does California’s. Additional universal themes include dealing with loss, death, self-absorbed adolescence, hard work, and making new friends.
It is so easy to get caught up in the storyline that learning about the reality and history of the gold rush along the way is unremarkable—an excellent trait in a historical novel for young adults. The storyline only seems to falter in its historical believability at the very end—when California Whipple is able to support herself as a librarian when even the general store has yet to be rebuilt, and all around her is poverty.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Cushman's heroine is a delightful character, and the historical setting is authentically portrayed. Lucy's story, as the author points out in her end notes, is the story of many pioneer women who exhibited great strength and courage as they helped to settle the West. The book is full of small details that children will love.”
Starred Review, Booklist: “Many readers will recognize their own dislocations in Lucy's reluctant adventure. In a vividly written afterword, Cushman places Lucy's personal narrative in its historical context.”
Publisher’s Weekly: “California rebels by renaming herself Lucy and by hoarding the gold dust and money she earns baking dried apple and vinegar pies, saving up for a journey home. Over years of toil and hardship, Lucy realizes, somewhat predictably, that home is wherever she makes one. As in her previous books, Newbery Award winner Cushman (The Midwife's Apprentice) proves herself a master at establishing atmosphere. Here she also renders serious social issues through sharply etched portraits: a runaway slave who has no name of his own, a preacher with a congregation of one, a raggedy child whose arms are covered in bruises.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as an introduction to a California Gold Rush history lesson.
==> Encourage readers to discuss their own experiences of moving to a new place or a new school, and the emotional hardships of change, loss, and starting over. Ask how this is the same or different, based on the historical context of California Whipple vs the state of California today.
==> Discuss how towns are formed, and research what happened to most gold mine towns over the years.
==> Research other stories about the lives and experiences of women, children, and other minorities in the unsettled West.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Secrets of a Civil War Submarin
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Walker, Sally M. 2005. SECRETS OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE: SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF THE H.L. HUNLEY. Minneapolis, MN: CarolRhoda Books, Inc. ISBN: 1575058308.
PLOT SUMMARY
Sally Walker first unfolds the adventure of building the first submarine, and then the drama of it’s first three fatal attempts at sinking a Union ship—the purpose for which it was commissioned during the Civil War. First-person accounts from letters and memoirs of the sailors and engineers who built and manned the H.L. Hunley make this portion of the story come alive. The idea of buoyancy, and the science of floating, diving, ballast and air are discussed briefly but relevantly in this section.
In the following section, the impetus for finding the sunken H.L. Hunley submarine is explained, readers get to experience the excitement of her eventual discovery in 1995, 130 years after she was lost coming home from her first mission. Here, the challenges of raising the submarine from the floor of the bay are discussed, as well as the important roles that math, engineering, mapping and scuba diving played in that process.
Once the submarine was raised, a whole new adventure began, with a host of exciting questions—how did the crew die? Why did the submarine sink? Who were the members of the final crew, anyway? It turns out that some of the previous historical records—made by the men who originally worked with the H.L. Hunley—were inaccurate, even including the number of people in the crew and the location of certain machinery inside the hull. Specialists are needed to help interpret the clues—from forensic experts to determine the age and birth place of the crewmen to an expert on reading sediment layers for clues about the sequence of events and decomposition within the submarine. Even an expert on stopped watches is brought in—did the captain’s pocket watch stop because it was not rewound, or did it stop at the exact time that the compartment flooded with water, commemorating the very minute of these men’s death? Some questions may never be answered.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photographs, charts, maps and other visual information helps to clarify unusual concepts and to bring this exciting adventure to life for the readers. The mystery style of writing, along with sharp questions and detailed knowledge help to make each stage of this story exciting and relevant. A select bibliography, list of websites, glossary, and note from the author at the conclusion of the book add to a plethora of educational opportunities that this well-crafted book provides. An ambitious middle school reader, an interested high school student or an adult researcher could each enjoy and learn from this excellent record of history and it’s recovery. Each page has something unique to offer, and the long sections of prose are full of great information, great discoveries, and great references to important contributions from various scientific fields of work. A little bit of history mixed with a little bit of humanity goes a very long way in this short and dense work by Sally M. Walker.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review, School Library Journal: “Walker brings a little-known story of the Civil War to life in this fascinating book…. his is a finely crafted account of the Hunley from its inception to the modern archaeological quest to exhume her from the water. It is divided into chronological chapters complete with pictures, maps, and primary sources.”
Starred Review, BookList: “Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an informative guide to anyone interested in the Hunley or intrigued by archaeology.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for research into lifestyles, military service, clothing, class distinctions, or any number of other interests relating to the Civil War Era.
==> Discuss the considerations that finally went into the construction of the H.L. Hunley. Why would drowning be better than suffocation? Were there other contingency or safety measures that could have been taken with the submarine in that time period? Do you think the results of the final mission were worth the lives lost in it’s execution? Remember the other two crews, and the now long and invaluable history of submarine use in battles resulting from this one event.
==> Check out MEETING THE SUBMARINE CHALLENGE: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS CENTER by John Merrill and Lionel D. Wyld. Also, US SUBMARINES 1941-45 by Jim Christley. Follow up with a parent-approved viewing of the movie THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), and discuss the considerations for safety that went into the Soviet submarine vs the US one in that time frame. Compare to those of the H.L. Hunley.
Walker, Sally M. 2005. SECRETS OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE: SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF THE H.L. HUNLEY. Minneapolis, MN: CarolRhoda Books, Inc. ISBN: 1575058308.
PLOT SUMMARY
Sally Walker first unfolds the adventure of building the first submarine, and then the drama of it’s first three fatal attempts at sinking a Union ship—the purpose for which it was commissioned during the Civil War. First-person accounts from letters and memoirs of the sailors and engineers who built and manned the H.L. Hunley make this portion of the story come alive. The idea of buoyancy, and the science of floating, diving, ballast and air are discussed briefly but relevantly in this section.
In the following section, the impetus for finding the sunken H.L. Hunley submarine is explained, readers get to experience the excitement of her eventual discovery in 1995, 130 years after she was lost coming home from her first mission. Here, the challenges of raising the submarine from the floor of the bay are discussed, as well as the important roles that math, engineering, mapping and scuba diving played in that process.
Once the submarine was raised, a whole new adventure began, with a host of exciting questions—how did the crew die? Why did the submarine sink? Who were the members of the final crew, anyway? It turns out that some of the previous historical records—made by the men who originally worked with the H.L. Hunley—were inaccurate, even including the number of people in the crew and the location of certain machinery inside the hull. Specialists are needed to help interpret the clues—from forensic experts to determine the age and birth place of the crewmen to an expert on reading sediment layers for clues about the sequence of events and decomposition within the submarine. Even an expert on stopped watches is brought in—did the captain’s pocket watch stop because it was not rewound, or did it stop at the exact time that the compartment flooded with water, commemorating the very minute of these men’s death? Some questions may never be answered.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photographs, charts, maps and other visual information helps to clarify unusual concepts and to bring this exciting adventure to life for the readers. The mystery style of writing, along with sharp questions and detailed knowledge help to make each stage of this story exciting and relevant. A select bibliography, list of websites, glossary, and note from the author at the conclusion of the book add to a plethora of educational opportunities that this well-crafted book provides. An ambitious middle school reader, an interested high school student or an adult researcher could each enjoy and learn from this excellent record of history and it’s recovery. Each page has something unique to offer, and the long sections of prose are full of great information, great discoveries, and great references to important contributions from various scientific fields of work. A little bit of history mixed with a little bit of humanity goes a very long way in this short and dense work by Sally M. Walker.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review, School Library Journal: “Walker brings a little-known story of the Civil War to life in this fascinating book…. his is a finely crafted account of the Hunley from its inception to the modern archaeological quest to exhume her from the water. It is divided into chronological chapters complete with pictures, maps, and primary sources.”
Starred Review, BookList: “Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an informative guide to anyone interested in the Hunley or intrigued by archaeology.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for research into lifestyles, military service, clothing, class distinctions, or any number of other interests relating to the Civil War Era.
==> Discuss the considerations that finally went into the construction of the H.L. Hunley. Why would drowning be better than suffocation? Were there other contingency or safety measures that could have been taken with the submarine in that time period? Do you think the results of the final mission were worth the lives lost in it’s execution? Remember the other two crews, and the now long and invaluable history of submarine use in battles resulting from this one event.
==> Check out MEETING THE SUBMARINE CHALLENGE: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS CENTER by John Merrill and Lionel D. Wyld. Also, US SUBMARINES 1941-45 by Jim Christley. Follow up with a parent-approved viewing of the movie THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), and discuss the considerations for safety that went into the Soviet submarine vs the US one in that time frame. Compare to those of the H.L. Hunley.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Amazing Aircraft
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 2002. AMAZING AIRCRAFT. New York, NY: SeaStar Books. ISBN: 1587171791.
PLOT SUMMARY
Seymour Simon has written a picture book describing with both words and photographs the history of the human desire to fly. Starting with hot air balloons in 1783 and Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for flapping wings in 1487, the pictures and basic descriptions continue up through today’s airplanes, the Concord supersonic passenger jet which travels more than twice the speed of sound, and the Lockheed F-117 “stealth” fighter plane.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photography as his visual medium, and his occasional explanation of terms used to describe what makes each aircraft special helps the young reader to learn fun facts about each type of flight machine listed. Each photograph has been carefully selected for it’s clear depiction of the traits listed beside it, and gives the reader a good reference point for the information included. This book is definitely intended for a younger reader who already has an interest in the topic of airplanes, travel, and flight. While it may expand vocabulary, the author’s sparse and factual blurbs and single individual photo of each craft selected for the book seem to oversimplify an exciting topic. This book would be unlikely to grab the interest of a non-aircraft enthusiast.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Horn Book: “While well designed, this book doesn't adequately explain certain historical events (the [cf2]Hindenburg[cf1] disaster, Germany's cancellation of an invasion of England during WWII), which may confuse some newly independent readers.”
Booklist: “Although the words are not all simple, they appear in large, legible type. A typical double-page spread includes a colorful photo accompanied by a few lines of text. With clear photos and succinct writing, these volumes will fill a demand for informative books that are short and easy enough for primary-grade children to read independently.”
CONNECTIONS
==> With this book as an example, children could research and write books on their own topic of interest—photos for the project might be available on the internet or photocopied from print resources.
==> Children could make a vocabulary list of words whose meaning are unclear, or newly learned words from this book, look up the definitions, and share these with other children in the group.
==> Perfect for starting out a field trip to an airfield, balloon launching, or museum of flight.
Simon, Seymour. 2002. AMAZING AIRCRAFT. New York, NY: SeaStar Books. ISBN: 1587171791.
PLOT SUMMARY
Seymour Simon has written a picture book describing with both words and photographs the history of the human desire to fly. Starting with hot air balloons in 1783 and Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for flapping wings in 1487, the pictures and basic descriptions continue up through today’s airplanes, the Concord supersonic passenger jet which travels more than twice the speed of sound, and the Lockheed F-117 “stealth” fighter plane.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author’s use of photography as his visual medium, and his occasional explanation of terms used to describe what makes each aircraft special helps the young reader to learn fun facts about each type of flight machine listed. Each photograph has been carefully selected for it’s clear depiction of the traits listed beside it, and gives the reader a good reference point for the information included. This book is definitely intended for a younger reader who already has an interest in the topic of airplanes, travel, and flight. While it may expand vocabulary, the author’s sparse and factual blurbs and single individual photo of each craft selected for the book seem to oversimplify an exciting topic. This book would be unlikely to grab the interest of a non-aircraft enthusiast.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Horn Book: “While well designed, this book doesn't adequately explain certain historical events (the [cf2]Hindenburg[cf1] disaster, Germany's cancellation of an invasion of England during WWII), which may confuse some newly independent readers.”
Booklist: “Although the words are not all simple, they appear in large, legible type. A typical double-page spread includes a colorful photo accompanied by a few lines of text. With clear photos and succinct writing, these volumes will fill a demand for informative books that are short and easy enough for primary-grade children to read independently.”
CONNECTIONS
==> With this book as an example, children could research and write books on their own topic of interest—photos for the project might be available on the internet or photocopied from print resources.
==> Children could make a vocabulary list of words whose meaning are unclear, or newly learned words from this book, look up the definitions, and share these with other children in the group.
==> Perfect for starting out a field trip to an airfield, balloon launching, or museum of flight.
The Good Good Pig
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montgomery, Sy. 2006. THE GOOD GOOD PIG: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER HOGWOOD. Detriot, MI: Thorndike Press. ISBN: 0786289511.
PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery, a widely traveled animal-writer, has used this chapter book as a format to share about her home life, and about her amazing pet pig named Christopher Hogwood. Sy has always had a great relationship with animals, and tells about some of her more exciting adventures and moments with wild animals in far-off countries throughout the book. Christopher, however, was her first domestic pig. He was the runt of runts in a large litter of pigs, and not expected to survive. After over thirteen years of living “high on the hog,” Christopher had outlived his litter-mates by twelve and a half years, and weighed 750 pounds when he died!
THE GOOD GOOD PIG is the story of how Christopher lived, his habits, his diet and exercise, and his intelligence. More importantly, however, this true story is about the relationships other people formed with him, and because of him. As sad as Christopher’s eventual death from old age was to so many people in the book, he left a legacy of human friendships and created family behind, and he helped a lot of adults and children deal with their sicknesses, traumatic experiences, and sadness over the course of his life. Readers are reminded that we make our own families, and while these include many wonderful humans, animals are a vital part of our family group, too.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author does a great job of painting pictures of some of the funnier moments with her words in this non-fiction work. Readers can easily picture the traditional “Running of the Pig” every day for his slops and spa treatments, hear the different noises and special grunts Christopher used for different situations and people, and sense his enjoyment of special culinary delicacies like bruised strawberries or stale blueberry muffins. Readers also get a good understanding of the author’s difficulties in relating to people rather than animals throughout her life, until Christopher gave her something to relate to them about. While the writing is occasionally repetitive—Sy tells us about about getting undressed by an Orangutan at least five times, without variation in telling or impact, for example—the prose will be clearly understood by a wide range of ages and ability levels from middle school to adult reader, and the topic covered also has wide appeal. Ms. Montgomery has also inserted many stories about other animals’ habits and her unusual relationships with them that one need not be a pig enthusiast to connect with the writing.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Journal: “As she recounts Christopher's adventures (his many escapes into neighbors' gardens, his picky delight in the slops offered to him by his many fans), Montgomery throws in fascinating tidbits of pig lore and natural history.”
School Library Journal: “This book is not merely a chronicle of her love for and life with Christopher Hogwood, but also a testament to the lessons learned through her 14-year relationship with him… More importantly, the author's engaging writing style will captivate even the most uninspired teen readers.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for a research project on an endangered species, the meat industry, unusual pets, or some other adventure author/naturalist.
==> Discuss the idea of a created family, and what kind of traits each person in the group wants in their chosen family members. What keeps most of us tied to the family we were born with? How do we interact/feel when we are with each family?
==> Make a large wall display including essays, poetry, stories, photos, and other information relating to the students’ pets or animals they have known or researched.
==> Great place to start talking about death, about discrimination (vegetarians discriminate against eating meat, Sy’s mom discriminated against Jews, etc), and why these things happen, and how different people choose to deal with them.
Montgomery, Sy. 2006. THE GOOD GOOD PIG: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER HOGWOOD. Detriot, MI: Thorndike Press. ISBN: 0786289511.
PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery, a widely traveled animal-writer, has used this chapter book as a format to share about her home life, and about her amazing pet pig named Christopher Hogwood. Sy has always had a great relationship with animals, and tells about some of her more exciting adventures and moments with wild animals in far-off countries throughout the book. Christopher, however, was her first domestic pig. He was the runt of runts in a large litter of pigs, and not expected to survive. After over thirteen years of living “high on the hog,” Christopher had outlived his litter-mates by twelve and a half years, and weighed 750 pounds when he died!
THE GOOD GOOD PIG is the story of how Christopher lived, his habits, his diet and exercise, and his intelligence. More importantly, however, this true story is about the relationships other people formed with him, and because of him. As sad as Christopher’s eventual death from old age was to so many people in the book, he left a legacy of human friendships and created family behind, and he helped a lot of adults and children deal with their sicknesses, traumatic experiences, and sadness over the course of his life. Readers are reminded that we make our own families, and while these include many wonderful humans, animals are a vital part of our family group, too.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author does a great job of painting pictures of some of the funnier moments with her words in this non-fiction work. Readers can easily picture the traditional “Running of the Pig” every day for his slops and spa treatments, hear the different noises and special grunts Christopher used for different situations and people, and sense his enjoyment of special culinary delicacies like bruised strawberries or stale blueberry muffins. Readers also get a good understanding of the author’s difficulties in relating to people rather than animals throughout her life, until Christopher gave her something to relate to them about. While the writing is occasionally repetitive—Sy tells us about about getting undressed by an Orangutan at least five times, without variation in telling or impact, for example—the prose will be clearly understood by a wide range of ages and ability levels from middle school to adult reader, and the topic covered also has wide appeal. Ms. Montgomery has also inserted many stories about other animals’ habits and her unusual relationships with them that one need not be a pig enthusiast to connect with the writing.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Journal: “As she recounts Christopher's adventures (his many escapes into neighbors' gardens, his picky delight in the slops offered to him by his many fans), Montgomery throws in fascinating tidbits of pig lore and natural history.”
School Library Journal: “This book is not merely a chronicle of her love for and life with Christopher Hogwood, but also a testament to the lessons learned through her 14-year relationship with him… More importantly, the author's engaging writing style will captivate even the most uninspired teen readers.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Use this book as a jumping off point for a research project on an endangered species, the meat industry, unusual pets, or some other adventure author/naturalist.
==> Discuss the idea of a created family, and what kind of traits each person in the group wants in their chosen family members. What keeps most of us tied to the family we were born with? How do we interact/feel when we are with each family?
==> Make a large wall display including essays, poetry, stories, photos, and other information relating to the students’ pets or animals they have known or researched.
==> Great place to start talking about death, about discrimination (vegetarians discriminate against eating meat, Sy’s mom discriminated against Jews, etc), and why these things happen, and how different people choose to deal with them.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Good Luck Gold
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wong, Janet S. 1994. GOOD LUCK GOLD AND OTHER POEMS. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 0689506171.
PLOT SUMMARY
Janet Wong has written a selection of (mostly) rhyming poetry discussing the experiences of first and second generation immigrant children, particularly those of Asian heritage. Topics range from the symbolism of green jade jewelry to racial discrimination experienced in the school yard to divorce, alcoholism, family traditions and family responsibilities. Each poem in the GOOD LUCK GOLD collection is titled, and the lengths vary, though none is longer than a single page. Their order is not linear nor from a single person’s point of view, but the message in each is strong. A youth asking the author to say some words in Korean doesn’t understand that the poem’s protagonist doesn’t speak the language. When she asks that a few words be spoken in return, the youth denies, “But I was born here.” And she replies, “So was I.”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Eye-opening, enlightening, and honest, these poems are easy to understand, and paint clear pictures of challenges overcome, and perspectives gained from the author’s own experiences with racism and multicultural households. Poetry styles range from a single paragraph without rhyme or steady rhythm to longer sonnets, to conversational poetry meant for two people to read in character to haiku.
The majority of included poems are even better when read aloud, and are accessible to children from upper elementary through high school, sparking awareness of racism as it is experienced by children today. Many poems in the collection also provide a window into some of the traditions and metaphors enjoyed by Chinese and Korean families, and discuss different ways to view and respond to unfair treatment and dangerous situations. For example, Wong speaks to the caged ducks at the bottom of a clawing smothering pile—“Though waiting at the bottom’s tough, just when you have had enough you’ll see the butcher’s hands reach in—and trust me, you’re the ones who win.” A metaphor for the struggles and discrimination faced by many new Americans, the ducks on top don’t realize how dangerously exposed they are to the one who controls their fate, while the ducks on the bottom will win out with longer lives and more chances for happiness in the end.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Children who live in cities with Chinese-American populations will recognize some of the images described--the ducks hanging in grocery-store windows, dim sum stands, parades with firecrackers and dragons. For others, these pieces provide an introduction to the sights and sounds of Chinese-American neighborhoods.”
Booklist: “Fresh, honest, and not at all reverential, these poems are simple dramatic monologues about growing up Asian American. The lines are short and very easy to read; the voices are strongly personal.”
CONNECTIONS
==> This collection is a great jumping off point for research into new American experiences, Asian-American culture and traditions, and multi-ethnic households.
==> This book offers great opportunities for children to experience multiple formats for poetry in an engaging and easy to understand collection. Explore different poetic styles, encourage the children to write their own poetry about racism seen or experienced in their own lives, using one of the forms discussed.
Wong, Janet S. 1994. GOOD LUCK GOLD AND OTHER POEMS. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 0689506171.
PLOT SUMMARY
Janet Wong has written a selection of (mostly) rhyming poetry discussing the experiences of first and second generation immigrant children, particularly those of Asian heritage. Topics range from the symbolism of green jade jewelry to racial discrimination experienced in the school yard to divorce, alcoholism, family traditions and family responsibilities. Each poem in the GOOD LUCK GOLD collection is titled, and the lengths vary, though none is longer than a single page. Their order is not linear nor from a single person’s point of view, but the message in each is strong. A youth asking the author to say some words in Korean doesn’t understand that the poem’s protagonist doesn’t speak the language. When she asks that a few words be spoken in return, the youth denies, “But I was born here.” And she replies, “So was I.”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Eye-opening, enlightening, and honest, these poems are easy to understand, and paint clear pictures of challenges overcome, and perspectives gained from the author’s own experiences with racism and multicultural households. Poetry styles range from a single paragraph without rhyme or steady rhythm to longer sonnets, to conversational poetry meant for two people to read in character to haiku.
The majority of included poems are even better when read aloud, and are accessible to children from upper elementary through high school, sparking awareness of racism as it is experienced by children today. Many poems in the collection also provide a window into some of the traditions and metaphors enjoyed by Chinese and Korean families, and discuss different ways to view and respond to unfair treatment and dangerous situations. For example, Wong speaks to the caged ducks at the bottom of a clawing smothering pile—“Though waiting at the bottom’s tough, just when you have had enough you’ll see the butcher’s hands reach in—and trust me, you’re the ones who win.” A metaphor for the struggles and discrimination faced by many new Americans, the ducks on top don’t realize how dangerously exposed they are to the one who controls their fate, while the ducks on the bottom will win out with longer lives and more chances for happiness in the end.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Children who live in cities with Chinese-American populations will recognize some of the images described--the ducks hanging in grocery-store windows, dim sum stands, parades with firecrackers and dragons. For others, these pieces provide an introduction to the sights and sounds of Chinese-American neighborhoods.”
Booklist: “Fresh, honest, and not at all reverential, these poems are simple dramatic monologues about growing up Asian American. The lines are short and very easy to read; the voices are strongly personal.”
CONNECTIONS
==> This collection is a great jumping off point for research into new American experiences, Asian-American culture and traditions, and multi-ethnic households.
==> This book offers great opportunities for children to experience multiple formats for poetry in an engaging and easy to understand collection. Explore different poetic styles, encourage the children to write their own poetry about racism seen or experienced in their own lives, using one of the forms discussed.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Aleutian Sparrow
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hesse, Karen. 2003. ALEUTIAN SPARROW. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 0689861893.
PLOT SUMMARY
Karen Hesse weaves chapters of a common story together through her poetic retelling of the Aleutian refugee experiences of 1942-45. Presented in chronological order, each poem recounts a different experience and emotion from the perspective of a young Aleutian girl maturing into a woman as everything familiar and comforting is torn away. Hesse’s sparse verses paint strong pictures for the reader—of struggle, of intolerance, sickness and loss… and yet also of hope. Many islanders do survive their relocation from grass and sea to forest and city, and are able to return to their homes—what is left of them—after the war. The old ways are remembered by many, and a few pieces of the old life do survive the American occupation of the islands. Although Vera, the protagonist, loses her family to sickness and the draw of city life, and her best friend to TB, she gains in self-reliance, and finds new family to start over with upon her return to the Aleutian Islands.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Aleutian experience is particularly well-suited to the poetic medium, as many of the songs and stories that sustain these resourceful people are allusions to the lives these resourceful people lead on the islands.
One poem recounts a legend in which the Russians, and not the Japanese, invaded the islands. At that time there was one ancient tree growing on the islands, and the Aleutian Sparrows lived in it and danced around it on the wind. When the Russians came, they cut down the tree, and built all their homes from it—and they all lived short lives and died mysterious deaths—but the sparrow still dances in the wind. The astute reader will recognize that the metaphorical meaning of the story is that the Aleutian people will continue to dance and sing, no matter what is taken from them.
As the story progresses, the reader knows only what Vera herself is aware of—so the reader is able to learn the hard lessons of struggle, of loss, and of the scars war leaves on the land with Vera herself. It is a sad story, with few friendly outsiders to help them, and fewer resources to work with—yet part of this story’s strength is that there is no bitterness, but only sadness and aching for times past, on the part of the heroine. Hesse does a great job of illustrating the many challenges—from racism to dealing with unfamiliar weather and unfamiliar terrain—that are a part of the refugee experience.
Hesse also chooses not to discuss emotions directly, but rather to show them by her choice of words, and by the experiences as they are lived by the protagonist, Vera. Some poems show a moment in time—Vera’s first experience with the Northern Lights—others show a moment that the reader infers must be part of a broader pattern of experience—the Aleuts who turn to drink to numb their pain, or the way a sick baby is cared for by the whole community, and sung to sleep once it has died.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Hesse's verses are short and flow seamlessly, one into another. Her use of similes is a powerful tool in describing people, scenes, events, and emotions.”
The Horn Book: “The sparseness of the verse seems to have limited the amount of background information the author was able to impart--of crucial importance when tackling a subject so unfamiliar to most readers.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Discuss what makes these non-rhyming verses poetic. What is gained by the use of this medium?
==> Encourage readers to find other books about refugee experiences in America, or another country, and discuss how the style of writing changes the impact of the story.
Hesse, Karen. 2003. ALEUTIAN SPARROW. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 0689861893.
PLOT SUMMARY
Karen Hesse weaves chapters of a common story together through her poetic retelling of the Aleutian refugee experiences of 1942-45. Presented in chronological order, each poem recounts a different experience and emotion from the perspective of a young Aleutian girl maturing into a woman as everything familiar and comforting is torn away. Hesse’s sparse verses paint strong pictures for the reader—of struggle, of intolerance, sickness and loss… and yet also of hope. Many islanders do survive their relocation from grass and sea to forest and city, and are able to return to their homes—what is left of them—after the war. The old ways are remembered by many, and a few pieces of the old life do survive the American occupation of the islands. Although Vera, the protagonist, loses her family to sickness and the draw of city life, and her best friend to TB, she gains in self-reliance, and finds new family to start over with upon her return to the Aleutian Islands.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Aleutian experience is particularly well-suited to the poetic medium, as many of the songs and stories that sustain these resourceful people are allusions to the lives these resourceful people lead on the islands.
One poem recounts a legend in which the Russians, and not the Japanese, invaded the islands. At that time there was one ancient tree growing on the islands, and the Aleutian Sparrows lived in it and danced around it on the wind. When the Russians came, they cut down the tree, and built all their homes from it—and they all lived short lives and died mysterious deaths—but the sparrow still dances in the wind. The astute reader will recognize that the metaphorical meaning of the story is that the Aleutian people will continue to dance and sing, no matter what is taken from them.
As the story progresses, the reader knows only what Vera herself is aware of—so the reader is able to learn the hard lessons of struggle, of loss, and of the scars war leaves on the land with Vera herself. It is a sad story, with few friendly outsiders to help them, and fewer resources to work with—yet part of this story’s strength is that there is no bitterness, but only sadness and aching for times past, on the part of the heroine. Hesse does a great job of illustrating the many challenges—from racism to dealing with unfamiliar weather and unfamiliar terrain—that are a part of the refugee experience.
Hesse also chooses not to discuss emotions directly, but rather to show them by her choice of words, and by the experiences as they are lived by the protagonist, Vera. Some poems show a moment in time—Vera’s first experience with the Northern Lights—others show a moment that the reader infers must be part of a broader pattern of experience—the Aleuts who turn to drink to numb their pain, or the way a sick baby is cared for by the whole community, and sung to sleep once it has died.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Hesse's verses are short and flow seamlessly, one into another. Her use of similes is a powerful tool in describing people, scenes, events, and emotions.”
The Horn Book: “The sparseness of the verse seems to have limited the amount of background information the author was able to impart--of crucial importance when tackling a subject so unfamiliar to most readers.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Discuss what makes these non-rhyming verses poetic. What is gained by the use of this medium?
==> Encourage readers to find other books about refugee experiences in America, or another country, and discuss how the style of writing changes the impact of the story.
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