BIBLIOGRAPHY
Na, An. 2001. A STEP FROM HEAVEN. Asheville, NC: Front Street. ISBN: 1886910588.
PLOT SUMMARY
An Na’s tale of moving to the United States and overcoming her father’s increasing abuse reads like an autobiography rather than a novel. At first, the little girl thinks in poetry, small concepts, and her family is her whole world. They swim in the ocean and live with her grandmother in a fishing village. America is the promised land, and believing that they will be rich and happy once they arrive, her parents take her to America to start again. America isn’t what any of them expected. The protagonist Young Ju must learn to navigate between her family’s expectations, her father’s unpredictable temper, and her new responsibilities as a big sister and an interpreter between her family and the rest of the world. With no adult who knows better, Young Ju must often choose between an easy lie and a more difficult explanation of the truth—a truth her father is often unwilling to accept.
Unwilling to take responsibility for his faults, Apa refuses to integrate with American culture, and takes out his anger on his wife and children. Eventually, Young Ju is forced to choose between the possibilities that her new life in America brings, and the dream of her father’s acceptance. When his behavior spirals out of control, she must acknowledge her status as an adult, and take responsibility for stopping him. In the process, she discovers that it is up to her to make the opportunities she wants in America.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
An Nu’s first novel is full of conflict and change. While she does an excellent job of portraying the New American experience through the eyes of the growing child, Young Ju, many of her themes will be familiar to readers of any background. These include the disappointment of moving to a new place, embarrassment about your parents, abusive relationships, grumpy siblings, friends your parents don’t approve of, and being poor. Nu integrates each character’s development into the unfolding of the story. It is clear that Apa’s temper and expectations for his son affect the boy’s ability to show emotion, and his desire to escape and avoid anything he doesn’t like as he grows into a young adult. Young Ju also develops, taking backwards lessons in responsibility, self-awareness, anger, and acceptance of difference from her father, and learning to stand up not only for herself, but also for her mother and for her determination to find a good life in America. It is educational to watch Young Ju navigate between her father’s pride and the immigration department’s system when her green card needs to be renewed, since she is the only one in the family who can read and speak English clearly, and the department does not offer a Korean interpreter.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Horn Book: “Young Ju's voice is convincingly articulated… Throughout the novel, images of reaching and dreaming poignantly convey the young narrator's desire to survive her father's brutality and its devastating effect on her family… An epilogue reveals that Young Ju's inspiration all along has been her mother, who, powerless in many respects, exerted power in other ways, working hard to make a better life for her children.”
Starred Review, Booklist: “This isn't a quick read, especially at the beginning when the child is trying to decipher American words and customs, but the coming-of-age drama will grab teens and make them think of their own conflicts between home and outside. As in the best writing, the particulars make the story universal.”
CONNECTIONS
==> Discuss the challenges that Young Ju faces as a New American. How do the people around her help or hinder her transition to America? What can you do to help the New Americans you meet? What sort of challenges did you face when you moved—to a new country or to a new house or town? What sort of help would you have liked to receive from the people around you? How can we make sure that resource is available for others?
==> Possible need for parent permission on this one—Discuss the different kinds of abuse and control-through-fear that are exhibited in the book. Can anyone come up with other examples of abusive behavior? Talk about rights and responsibilities of parents and care takers. Discuss the laws and legal systems that are in place in America to protect children and adults from abusive situations and people. Why was it so hard for Young Ju to tell 911 that her father was hurting her mother? What, as children and young adults, can you do when you know about an abusive situation? How can you make sure you and the people you love are safe? What concerns might inform your decisions and choices in this situation? Young Ju took a risk when she called 911. How did it turn out for her? What were other possible outcomes? Do you think she did the right thing? How else could she have handled it?
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Princess Academy
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon. 2005. PRINCESS ACADEMY. Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. ISBN: 0786287330.
PLOT SUMMARY
Each day, all the people in Miri’s little mountain village go to the quarry to cut Linder rock, except Miri. She has not grown as large as the others, and is not allowed to set foot in the quarry. Instead, she does house chores, minds the goats, and bargains with the traders who trade food for Linder rock until winter snows close the passes. Miri believes she is a burden by her community because she does not help break the rock that is their livelihood. It is a hard life, but the traditions and friendships in the community keep them going forward, despite what the lowlanders might think of them.
As with most fairytales, author Shannon Hale’s characters are surprised by a sudden challenge, and must learn to work together to overcome it. Their community is selected for the Princess Academy, from which the Prince will choose his bride. All girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen must live at the school and attend classes for a year, with little access to their families and old traditions. This is where the magic happens. Miri learns to participate in the psychic memory-language of the quarry, and by doing this, and applying her lessons in diplomacy, commerce, and finding common ground, she is able to help her community overcome not only the challenges of the Princess Academy, but also the meager rewards for their hard work in the quarry, and her fear that she is not accepted by the people she loves the most. Of course, it wouldn’t be a fairytale without the opportunity for our heroine to test herself against true evil one final time.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Hale manages to develop the characters of many girls in the Princess Academy group, while still using names appropriate to the setting of her story, and challenges/responses that are realistic for each character. The backdrop of this story about a group of young girls finding their places in the world allows for additional layers of conflict, and additional parallels to the realities of discrimination, bigotry, and bad assumptions. Her ability to maintain several diverse characters throughout the story again allows the reader to connect more closely with both the girls and the messages of tolerance, fortitude, and personal responsibility that permeate the story, without becoming didactic or repetitive. The fantasy about a language that only you and your friends can understand is a common one, and Miri’s use of it to save her friends from the bandits is a predictable resolution.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: “Through education—and the realization that she has the common mountain power to communicate wordlessly via magical "quarry-speech"—Miri and the girls eventually gain confidence and knowledge that helps transform their village. Unfortunately, Hale's lighthearted premise and underlying romantic plot bog down in overlong passages about commerce and class, a surprise hostage situation and the specifics of "quarry-speech."
Starred Review, School Library Journal: “Each girl's story is brought to a satisfying conclusion, but this is not a fluffy, predictable fairy tale, even though it has wonderful moments of humor. Instead, Hale weaves an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationships, education, and the place we call home.”
Booklist: “Hale nicely interweaves feminist sensibilities in this quest-for-a-prince-charming, historical-fantasy tale. Strong suspense and plot drive the action as the girls outwit would-be kidnappers and explore the boundaries of leadership, competition, and friendship.”
CONNECTIONS
==> In a group, discuss the parallels between Miri’s conflict with the girls and common middle and high school experiences today. Explore the possibility that her solutions to these problems might work for the group, too.
==> Use this modern fairytale as a jumping off point to research perspective and bigotry in the United States regarding Hillbillies and City folks. How might commerce and unfamiliar traditions be involved?
Hale, Shannon. 2005. PRINCESS ACADEMY. Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. ISBN: 0786287330.
PLOT SUMMARY
Each day, all the people in Miri’s little mountain village go to the quarry to cut Linder rock, except Miri. She has not grown as large as the others, and is not allowed to set foot in the quarry. Instead, she does house chores, minds the goats, and bargains with the traders who trade food for Linder rock until winter snows close the passes. Miri believes she is a burden by her community because she does not help break the rock that is their livelihood. It is a hard life, but the traditions and friendships in the community keep them going forward, despite what the lowlanders might think of them.
As with most fairytales, author Shannon Hale’s characters are surprised by a sudden challenge, and must learn to work together to overcome it. Their community is selected for the Princess Academy, from which the Prince will choose his bride. All girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen must live at the school and attend classes for a year, with little access to their families and old traditions. This is where the magic happens. Miri learns to participate in the psychic memory-language of the quarry, and by doing this, and applying her lessons in diplomacy, commerce, and finding common ground, she is able to help her community overcome not only the challenges of the Princess Academy, but also the meager rewards for their hard work in the quarry, and her fear that she is not accepted by the people she loves the most. Of course, it wouldn’t be a fairytale without the opportunity for our heroine to test herself against true evil one final time.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Hale manages to develop the characters of many girls in the Princess Academy group, while still using names appropriate to the setting of her story, and challenges/responses that are realistic for each character. The backdrop of this story about a group of young girls finding their places in the world allows for additional layers of conflict, and additional parallels to the realities of discrimination, bigotry, and bad assumptions. Her ability to maintain several diverse characters throughout the story again allows the reader to connect more closely with both the girls and the messages of tolerance, fortitude, and personal responsibility that permeate the story, without becoming didactic or repetitive. The fantasy about a language that only you and your friends can understand is a common one, and Miri’s use of it to save her friends from the bandits is a predictable resolution.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly: “Through education—and the realization that she has the common mountain power to communicate wordlessly via magical "quarry-speech"—Miri and the girls eventually gain confidence and knowledge that helps transform their village. Unfortunately, Hale's lighthearted premise and underlying romantic plot bog down in overlong passages about commerce and class, a surprise hostage situation and the specifics of "quarry-speech."
Starred Review, School Library Journal: “Each girl's story is brought to a satisfying conclusion, but this is not a fluffy, predictable fairy tale, even though it has wonderful moments of humor. Instead, Hale weaves an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationships, education, and the place we call home.”
Booklist: “Hale nicely interweaves feminist sensibilities in this quest-for-a-prince-charming, historical-fantasy tale. Strong suspense and plot drive the action as the girls outwit would-be kidnappers and explore the boundaries of leadership, competition, and friendship.”
CONNECTIONS
==> In a group, discuss the parallels between Miri’s conflict with the girls and common middle and high school experiences today. Explore the possibility that her solutions to these problems might work for the group, too.
==> Use this modern fairytale as a jumping off point to research perspective and bigotry in the United States regarding Hillbillies and City folks. How might commerce and unfamiliar traditions be involved?
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Worth
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.
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.
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.
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