Module 7 - Anything But Typical

Baskin, N.R. (2009). Anything but typical. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.


Summary
Sixth grader Jason, who was diagnosed with autism in third grade narrates the story of his life and allows the reader into his thoughts and feelings about his family, school and a possible girlfriend.  


My Impression
I loved this book - which I think I write more often than not when posting each week.  Although the mind of any person, autistic or not, is a mystery Baskin has taken herself into the mind of a 12-year old autistic boy and allows us to see life from his perspective.  It was eye opening to see how Jason was treated at school and with his peers.  If children don't have experiences with different people how can they teachers don't seek to understand each student can we truly understand what is best for them? This book opened my eyes to autistic students in my school and how I might interact with them, truly accepting them for who they are.


Review

Baskin sets herself a difficult challenge by making her narrator both an aspiring writer and autistic, seemingly more severely so than, for instance, Ted in Siobhan Dowd’s London Eye Mystery. Sixth-grader Jason is being mainstreamed this year (forgoing his one-on-one classroom aide), and sometimes the noises, smells, and interpersonal demands overwhelm him. One of his greatest comforts is the website Storyboard, where he posts a story about a dwarf considering a treatment that would make him normal-sized. When Jason’s story attracts positive online comments from a girl, he begins to feel that he has a friend—even a girlfriend—but is panic-stricken when he learns they are both planning to attend the Storyboard conference. He’s also distressed that his mother, not his father, ends up accompanying him to the conference, but both Jason and his “neurotypical” mom come to realize that in some ways he is more competent than she is. Baskin writes with striking honesty, especially about Jason’s relationship with his parents, and incorporates many details about Jason’s perceptions of and reactions to people that might help readers better understand their autistic peers. The book’s greater strength, though, is communicating to readers how some of the same things that bother Jason might also bother them— whether it is bright lights, noisy rooms, or foods that touch—and estab- lishing common ground.

Smith-D'Arezzo, W. (2009, March). [Review of the book Anything But Typical]. School Library Journal, 55(3), 141. 

Suggestion for Library Use
Because this book is for an older audience, a book commercial sharing about this book for students to view on the school website to interests them in checking the book out.  

Module 6 - Thunder-Boomer!

Crum, S. (2009). Thunder-boomer!. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


Summary
One hot summer day a mother, a brother and a little sister are on their farm while the father is working in the fields.  Because of the heat Mom wishes for a thunder-boomer day when a light breeze begins to blow.  As the clouds roll in and the air turns chilly, mom rushes the family back inside the house.  Dark clouds follow as the family prepares for a big storm - closing the barn doors, securing the animals, gathering the clothes from the line.  As the rain begins and the the hail begins Dad has to go out to catch a nervous chicken caught in the storm.  As the storm recedes the family ventures out to see what damage the storm might have caused and find a new friend - a wet and soggy kitten huddled under the protective chicken. 


My Impression
This is a captivating picture book with beautiful water-color illustrations.  The paintings on each page bring to life the excitement and drama of the author's words.  Within the illustrations the sounds of the events are drawn in whimsical ways.


Book Review
Wilson, A. (2009, June). [Review of Thunder-Boomer!]. School Library Journal, 55(6), 80.


A farm family is sweltering, hoping for "a thunder-boomer" to relieve the heat. Thompson's illustrations, done in pastels, ink, and watercolor, are full of motion and capture the sensations of the gathering clouds, the rain coming down, the intensity of the storm, and the feeling of cold wetness on the characters. The free-verse storytelling is light, airy, and perfectly matched to the drawings.Readers will enjoy the pictures of the family scurrying home as well as the one of Dad running outside to rescue a stray chicken from the downpour. The ending fully satisfies, as the children discover a wet kitten after the storm and appropriately name it Thunder-Boomer.


Suggestion for Library Use
This book would be a great read-aloud in the library to support a classroom study of weather.  Although written for younger grades, because of the water-color illustrations older elementary students would enjoy this book as well.  

Module 5 - Forged by Fire

Cross, J. (2007). Forged by fire. New York, ROC.


Summary
Zarg Darquel is a strong willed, independent girl who goes against the laws forbidding females from owning property.  She purchases her own dragon-egg farm and struggles with her own addiction to dragon venom.  Her former Overlord does not let Zarg's rebellion go unnoticed but seeks her out to jail her or, better yet, kill her. Zarq flees to the jungle of dragons with the females dragons protecting her while she looks for an ancient power in order to defeat the Overlord.  


My Impressions
This particular book is filled with action in the fantasy world.  It's written for an older audience, at least high school age due to its issues of sexism, racism, slavery and addiction.  This is not a book I would have read on my own, but I know from the reviews it has its place in the hearts and hands of fantasy lovers.


Review
Lombardo, C. (2002, June) [Review of Forged by fire]. School LIbrary Journal, 48(6), 72.


Sent to live with his firm but loving Aunt Queen when his drug-addicted mother is sentenced to prison for child neglect, Gerald Nickleby's stable existence disappears on his ninth birthday with the sudden death of his aunt, the return of his infantile and ineffective mother, and the entrance of a new stepsister and an overbearing, drunken, and intimidating stepfather. In this fast-paced and emotionally disquieting sequel (S&S, 1997) to Sharon Draper's earlier YA novel, Tears of a Tiger (Atheneum, 1994), Gerald emerges as a courageous young man whose loyalty to his stepsister, Angel, subjects him to physical assault and public embarrassment. Thomas Penny's multi-voiced characterizations add intensity and depth to this Coretta Scott King Award-winning story. He effectively portrays Gerald as he changes from a young child fascinated by fire to an adolescent who realizes that the protection of both Angel and his mother rests on his young shoulders. His narration of this gritty story and portrait of poverty, abuse, and addiction is difficult to listen to but compelling and powerful until the very end.


Suggestion for Library Use
This module is difficult for me to suggest ideas for library use.  I think a display encouraging readings of fantasy, dragons or even powerful women might be the place for this book.

Module 5 - Kit's Wilderness

Almond, D. (1999)Kit wilderness. New York, Random House.


Summary
Kit Watson's family moves to Stoneygate to live with his grandfather after his grandmother's passing.  Stoneygate is an old coal-mining town where the mines are not sealed up and pose an inopportune place for children of the town to play.  Upon meeting John Askew, Kit is lured into the game of "Death" with John and other kids from the town within an old mine.  In the meantime, Kit's grandfather tells him stories of the mines and those who died there and what he sees since working there.  As Kit plays Death with other town children, he "dies" and begins to see, as his grandfather, those that have dies in the mines.  Kit learns how to deal with seeing the dead and heal a broken boy to the extent of becoming friends.  A story of healing and friendship in the strangest situations.


My Impression
This is not a book I would have picked up and read on my own.  I had a difficult time following it, but kept on for the sake of knowing how it ends.  I felt the game of Death was too vague and didn't explain enough of what happened.  The friendships and relationships that are created within the book were touching up until the end.  Kit's relationship with his grandfather made me keep with the book to find out how it all tied together.  Kit seeing the ghosts and Askew being so angry and strange made me want to put it down.  However, those who enjoy book on the supernatural and the unknown would enjoy this book greatly.  


Review

Fader, E. (2000, March). [Review of the book Kit's Wilderness]. School Library Journal, 46(3), 1.

The haunting otherworldliness that distinguished Skellig (Delacorte, 1999) also permeates this book. After the death of his grandmother, 13-year-old Kit Watson moves with his family to Stoneygate, an old coal-mining town, to take care of his elderly grandfather. He forms a tentative friendship with John Askew, who is ridiculed because of his father's public drunkenness and inability to care for his family. In the wilderness area near their town, John organizes an after-school game called "Death," in which Kit and other friends lie alone in an abandoned mine waiting for visions of children who died there long ago. After school officials discover the game and expel John, he disappears. Kit, a budding writer, crafts a story about a prehistoric boy who becomes separated from his family. The story parallels the emotional incidents in John Askew's life and incorporates elements of stories Kit's grandfather has told him about the mines. John's mother pleads with the boy to bring her son home at the same time as the mother in the story Kit is writing appears to him, pleading with him to return her missing children. John resurfaces and, with Kit's help, rejoins his family. Grandpa dies, but Kit is committed to keeping his memory and his stories alive. Almond artfully brings these complicated, interwoven plots to a satisfying conclusion as he explores the power of friendship and family, the importance of memory, and the role of magic in our lives. This is a highly satisfying literary experience, showing readers that some of life's events are beyond explanation.


Suggestion for Library Use
Being limited in my middle school and higher experience, I would use this book in a display for students about supernatural and the unexplainable.  

Module 4 - Sounder

Armstrong, W. (1995). Sounder. HarperCollins, New York.

Summary
During a time when food was sparse and equality was a thing of the future, a boy watches his father get arrested for stealing a ham in order to feed his family.  While watching his father being hauled away in the back of a wagon, the boy also sees his dog Sounder shot and left for dead.  After the father is sentenced and sent to prison, the boy travels looking for his father, to only come home with nothing.  This is a story about a boy and a loyal companion and the ability to survive through the most difficult of times.

My Impression
I did not enjoy this book. Because the characters weren't named I never felt I got to know them. I never could connect with the nameless character, although I empathized with him and appreciated the reminder of how it used to be.  The language and craft of writing in the book is excellent so it was easy to have a "mind picture" throughout the book due to word choice.  The story and the way the author choose to develop the characters did not help me to enjoy the book.

Review
Graves, E. M. (1969, November 21). Review of Sounder. Commonweal 90, 257.

A loyal coon dog, a poor sharecropper desperate to support his family, and his young son who yearns for an education, all play roles in [Sounder,] this biting indictment of the treatment of Negro farmers in the South. Although a tragic story of man's inhumanity to man, this is also an uplifting tale of courage, human dignity, and love. The writing is simple, timeless, and extraordinarily moving. An outstanding book.


Suggestion for Library Use
This book could be read to older patrons to begin a discussion on the treatment of African Americans after slavery and before the civl right movement.  It would be an excellent book to display and offer children (older children) during Black History Month.

Module 4 - Jacob Have I Loved

Patterson, K. (1980). Jacob have I loved. HarperCollins: New York.

Summary

Jacob Have I Love takes the reader through the life of Sarah Louise (Wheeze), an island girl through World War II. Wheeze struggles with the attention her twin sister has always received since birth and the life that the island brings to her. As Wheeze grows up the reader is with her through the emotional struggles with her sister and aging grandmother until Wheeze is a grown woman and ready to venture into the world to follow her own dreams.

My Impression

I absolutely loved this book! Girls can relate to the struggles of a young girl and see how she grows beyond it into a young woman. Young girls can see that they are not alone in their thoughts. The book as a "dated-ness" about it - some of the language used are of a different time period. I question if this would cause some younger readers to lose interest in reading the book.

Review

Schon, I. (2010, May 15). [Review of the book Jacob Have I Loved]. Booklist, 106 (18).

Patersonís 1981 Newbery Award winner about strong sibling rivalry between twin sisters is brought poignantly to life in this fluid Spanish rendition. Although Louise, the memorable heroine, has always believed that beautiful Caroline was the favored daughter, she finally realizes her own courage and leaves her beloved island in the Chesapeake Bay for a mountain community, where she succeeds as a midwife.

Suggestion of Library Use

This book would be a good to pull a dialogue or section from to read to a group in order peek interest for students. I would use this book and others like it to create these "blurbs" to read to students.

Module 3 - Flotsam

Weisner, D. (2006). Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books.

Summary

An inquisitive boy on the beach looking at a crab gets swept up in a wave and tossed around. When the wave recedes the boy is looking at an old camera that is covered with seaweed. Without any words David Weisner takes the reader on an adventure with the boy as he looks inside to find used film which he develops. The pictures that are printed show the boy and reader an underwater world we could never imagine on our own. The boy continues to inquire into the pictures he's discovered to find he isn't the only one who has found this camera.

My Impression

This is an incredibly well illustrated book that leads the reader to question and discover a possible underwater world that only a special camera could bring us. Without words, Mr. Weisner leaves the story to the readers thoughts and imagination and leaves you with the opportunity to continue the story even on the last page.

Review

Sutton, R. (2006). [Review of the book Flotsam]. Horn Book Magazine, 571.


With its careful array of beachcombed items, the title page spread of Wiesner's latest picture book makes it look like one of those Eyewitness books, but the following wordless story is far stranger than fact. In clue-and fancy-strewn full-page panting and panels, a boy at the beach closely examines items and animals washed in from the sea; when a wave deposits an old camera on the shore, his viewing takes a radical shift. He gets the camera's film developed at a nearby shop, allowing Wiesner's bountiful imagination great play in the series of photos the boy then exmines: a robot fish, an octopus reading aloud to its off-cpring, giant starfish with islands on their backs. And: a seaside photo of a girl holding a seaside photo of a boy, holding a seaside photo of another child, ad infinitum. The inquisitive boy's ready magnifying glass and microscope allow him to see further and further into the photo, and further back in time, as revealed by the increasingly old-fashioned clothes worn by the children pictured. What to do but add himself to the sequence? The meticulous and rich detail of Wiesner's watercolors makes the fantasy involving and convincing.

Suggestion for Library Use

Ask students to collect their own piece of “flotsam” and write and illustrate a backstory.