Kek is a young African boy who has journeyed far from home. He finds himself in a country not knowing how to speak the language, never having seen snow. It truly is a whole new world to him. He is being taken to Minnesota to live with his aunt and cousin. Kek’s father and brother have died and his mother is missing. All he has left of her are memories and a scrap of material from her dress. Is it enough to navigate the waters of the unknown? Now there are so many things that Kek must learn: how to get to school, how to earn money, how to do the laundry.

But one thing is familiar to him. On the way to his aunt’s house, Kek spies a solitary cow standing in a field. Kek has Dave, the driver, stop the car so he can go and pet the cow. He continues to visit with his four-legged friend over the course of the novel. He speaks her language and she’s always happy to see him. When he’s with her he doesn’t have to think about bullies, ESL classes, or his angry cousin. But the owner of the farm is thinking about selling. Will Kek find somewhere he can truly be happy?

When asked about her motivation behind writing Kek’s story, Applegate said: “I would love to think that reading about a child like Kek will help someone, someday, channel that compassionate side, to smile and say ‘Need a hand?’ when it could make all the difference in the world. [In the words of] Jean Rhys: ‘Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, It finds homes for us everywhere.’

Read-aloud hook: Page 73. Cattle. “In my class, my long-name class called English-as-a-Second-Language, we are sixteen….” “… to hear the cattle again is good music.”

Discussion questions:

· The original title of this book was, “The Stars Remain.” Which title seems more fitting and why?

· How does the cover of the book depict the action of the story? Do you think this image is a good choice? What would you have chosen?

· Without his family Kek has had to make a new life for himself. Who are the most important people in his life? In just a sentence or two describe his relationship with each.

· On her website Katherine Applegate groups her latest books under the heading Bodacious Bovines. Why do you think Kek forms such an attachment to Lou’s cow? Read the picturebook, Buffalo Storm and see if you agree with the author’s grouping. Do you know other authors who have written both chapter books and picture books? How different would it be to write in each of these styles?

· Look at a globe or a map. Close your eyes and point to a spot. Imagine living there. How would it be different from where you live now? How might it be the same? What would you miss most about your home?

http://www.katherineapplegate.com/nonflash.html

http://www.sandhyanankani.com/wordpress/?p=96 – Author interview

Avi

THE TRAITORS’ GATE

Atheneum, 2007. ISBN 978-0-689-85335-7. $17.99. 354 pages.

John Horatio Huffum’s life has never been easy – after all, life isn’t easy for many people in the London of 1849, where filth and poverty reign supreme. But when his father is tossed in debtor’s prison for a debt he insists he doesn’t owe, John must leave his school (Muldspoon’s Militantly Motivated Academy) and do his 14-year-old best to maintain the family income while solving the problem of his father’s apparently wrongful incarceration. All this would be easier if he weren’t being followed by that tall man who claims to be a police inspector – the one with the obviously fake beard – or by the ragged girl, the one with the overly large cap and the broad grin who seems to know everything about him.

The Traitors’ Gate is full of mystery and deceitful leads, much like trying to find your way through London’s 19^th century back alleys on a foggy night. Follow John as he navigates a trail of perplexing information and shifting loyalties. Will Great-great-aunt Euphemia help him even though she hates his father? Can he really trust Mr. Tuckum, the jolly bailiff? Is his sister’s French beau really just after his sister – or something more? The answer lies through The Traitors’ Gate.

Read-aloud hook: On a particularly bad day, young John endured a humiliating audience with Great-great-aunt Euphemia in which he had to beg for money; he gazed with fear upon London’s Traitors’ Gate (is his father destined to go there?), and he bluffed his way through a grilling by his father’s employer. Then, while on his way home, he finds his path blocked by a menacing stranger: (Read from the beginning of chapter 14, on page 93, to “Indeed, I was shaking.” on page 97.)

Discussion questions:

· Two of Brigit’s comments really stick in John’s mind: “To live, a people will do whatever they need to do” and “Know that for things held dear to the heart, all kinds of sacrifices must be made.” What other books have you read in which the characters must make tough – or even illegal – decisions in order to live? What characters from other books have made great sacrifices for “things held dear to the heart”?

· Many of the characters in The Traitors’ Gate wrestle with the concept of loyalty. What are the different forms of loyalty that the characters express? What motivates each character in his/her loyalty?

· Mr. Snugsbe has a theory about people and their place in the world, his “Theory of Coats.” Do you believe most people make their own “coats”? Do you ever feel like your “coat” doesn’t fit? If so, how would you change your “coat” if you could? Do you think people can change their “coats”?

· Think about John and Sary’s relationship. What is the value of it to each of them in the beginning? Does it change during the book? If so, how?

http://www.avi-writer.com

Natalie Babbitt

JACK PLANK TELLS TALES

Scholastic, 2007. ISBN 978-0-5450-0496-1. $15.95. 128 pages.

Jack was a pirate, but not a plunderer, so he’s been fondly relieved of his duties. It is the year 1720, and Jack finds himself looking for lodging in the Caribbean island town of Saltwash. Mrs. DelFresno, who runs a boardinghouse, makes a deal with Jack that he may lodge there temporarily with the possibility of longer if he behaves well and finds steady work within a week. Eleven-year-old Nina DelFresno offers to help Jack and accompanies him on his daily job quests. Then each night at supper Jack provides the boardinghouse residents with a colorful tale from his pirating days to explain why each day’s potential line of work would be impossible. He eliminates a long list of occupations - barber, actor, farmer, baker, musician, goldsmith, fortune-teller, and fisherman. Babbitt’s shaded line illustrations enhance the imaginative fun of his tales. By the end of the week, Jack has so charmed his evening listeners that Mrs. DelFresno invites him to stay indefinitely and be the storyteller. He is, indeed, a likeable chap and his tales are cleverly woven into the whole cloth of a salty novel.

Read-aloud hook: Although the whole book makes for a great read-aloud, a brief reading works well for a booktalk. Start reading on p. 22 “We came across the fellow...” to p. 30, end of the first paragraph: “away he went, westward, headed for the Half Moon Reefs.”

Discussion questions:

· How would you expect a pirate to behave? How does Jack measure up?

· What is a tall tale? Discuss whether Jack’s stories fit the description.

· What is the significance of Jack Plank’s last name, the name of his pirate ship (Avarice), and the name of the sailmaker (Needles)? Are there other meaningful names?

· Is this book a novel, a collection of short stories, or a combination of both?

Ibtisam Barakat

TASTING THE SKY

FSG, 2007. ISBN 978-0-3743-5733-7. $16.00. 176 pages.

Before she was old enough to tie her shoes securely, Ibtisam Barakat participated in hijacking a water tanker. When she was four, she and her brothers played among the barbed wire and trenches of Israeli soldiers occupying the area around their West Bank home. At six, Ibtisam attended first grade at the Jalazone Girls’ School, located in a Palestinian refugee camp.

Tasting the Sky recalls the Barakat family’s flight during the Six-Days War and their life over the next four years, but this is not a book about the atrocities of war. As an adult journalist, painfully aware of all that she lost in Palestine, Ibtisam also knows how little accurate information Americans have about the Arab/Israeli conflict. But Tasting the Sky is less about facts and dates than it is a respectful and beautiful memoir.

Barakat describes her childhood in one of the most violently politicized parts of the world not with politics, but poetry.

With telling specificity, she recalls those things that would have terrified, intrigued and caught the attention of a young child. By describing just what a child would notice, with the clarity and skill of an adult artist, Tasting the Sky is a heartbreaking testament without rancor, and a mesmerizing story accessible to young readers.

Read-aloud hook: On the evening of June 5, 1967, the first of the Six-Days War, Ibtisam’s father rushes in from work with news that the war has started. “He told mother he had heard…He could not talk to the people in the planes.” (pp. 21-22)

Discussion questions:

· When Ibtisam is a teenager, and travels secretly to Ramallah on a bus, she writes that she “hides her freedom” in her Post Office Box. What does she mean by this?

· Ibtisam is not yet four when her family flees the West Bank and lives in Jordan as refugees, yet her memories are very precise. Describe your own memories of the places you lived when you were a preschooler. What specific details can you remember?

· Why did Mother want to put Ibtisam and her brothers in an orphanage? Why do you think Father's feelings are different? And what led them both to change their minds?

· Why does Ibtisam think of Aleph, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, as a personal friend?

· This book begins in 1981, when Ibtisam is a teenager, and ends then, too. In between lies “The Postal Box of Memory,” the longest part of the book, about the Six-Days War and the period from when she was three-and-a-half to when she was seven. Do you think shifting back and forth in time helps to tell her story? Why or why not?

http://www.ibtisambarakat.com (under construction; meanwhile, contact the author via her e-mail: i_barakat@yahoo.com)

Loree Griffin Burns

TRACKING TRASH: FLOTSAM, JETSAM, AND THE

SCIENCE OF OCEAN MOTION

Houghton Mifflin, 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-58131-3. $18.00. 56 pages.

Nike sneakers and plastic tub toys aren’t the usual tools of scientific research, but in Burns’ portrayal of the scientists who study ocean currents, readers learn that spills of such floatable cargo on the high seas play an important role in verifying predictions from sophisticated computer models. Oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer keeps in close touch with beachcombers on Pacific Ocean beaches to record where flotsam and jetsam washes to shore. While young amateur scientists will find plenty of charts, data, and thorough explanations of longitude, latitude, tides and various ocean phenomena to satisfy their curiosity, this is more than a book on ocean currents. The strong message of the indestructibility of plastic makes this a good book for environmental studies as well. Marine animals and birds who ingest small bits of plastic or who are caught in enormous nets which pull loose from fishing vessels are in greater and greater danger as the mass of man-made trash grows in the oceans. While some strong currents may carry much of it to shore, many others pieces converge to create huge islands of garbage.

As with others in this series (Scientists in the Field), the book is well illustrated with photographs of scientists at work and with charts and diagrams to illustrate more abstract points. There is a well organized glossary and a good list of relevant websites covering the subjects in the book. And, specifically in the chapter dealing with ocean garbage, there is a “What you can do” section with suggestions for young people. While young people in Vermont may not be on a beach, they will learn in this book that they can begin to help with the reduction of plastic trash which might make its way from their rivers to the sea.

Read-aloud hook: p. 34. Oceanographer Jim Ingraham, one of the featured scientists in the book has been introduced as the developer of a computer program, OSCURS (Ocean Surface CURrent Simulator), to predict the direction and speed of currents. Here, a research ship captain has actual contact with the effects of the currents. “At about the same time…as big as the state of Alaska.”

Discussion questions:

· Spend a day listing all of the items you have used that are plastic. Could they be made of some other material instead?

· If you have a chance to vacation on an ocean shore, how could you help with the sort of research that Dr. Ebbesmeyer does?

· What would you be willing to give up to help reduce trash in the world?

· Have you read or heard reports of animals or birds in our area being hurt by plastic?

· Do you recycle? Why or why not?

www.loreegriffinburns.com/

lgburns.livejournal.com (blog)

Andrew Clements

NO TALKING

Simon & Schuster, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4169-0983-5. $15.99. 146 pages.

Laketon Elementary is not a quiet school, and the class that sets the tone is the fifth grade, a group long known as “The Unshushables.” There’s Dave, a boy who could “talk and talk and talk about almost anything,” and Lynsey, she of “the sharp voice, the kind that cuts like a hacksaw,” and the rest of the class, a group so noisy the principal resorts to using a red plastic bullhorn to be heard, carefully checking the bullhorn’s batteries before each fifth grade lunch period.

Enter Gandhi, in the form of a book report Dave must write. Intrigued by Gandhi’s weekly sessions of silence to clear his mind, Dave wonders if a similar practice could benefit himself, just a “regular” kid. Dave gives it a try one day, only to be driven to distraction by the fabled voice of Lynsey at lunch. In what even Dave realizes is a decidedly un-Gandhi-like reaction, he loses his temper and tosses out a challenge: 48 hours of silence, with the boys pitted against the girls.

Half the fun of the book comes from watching fifth graders work out the rules of the contest while negotiating the eternal elementary school “cootie” divide, and the other half comes from hearing the reactions of the school’s teachers. Clements, a former school teacher, knows his subject well – but also knows how to create likeable characters who realize when a little inner growth is required.

Read-aloud hook: The teachers at Laketon Elementary don’t figure out what’s happening right away, and Clements gives us an idea of how confused they must feel in the way he leads us into the story. Read the opening chapter, “Zipped” (three pages).

Discussion questions:

· Dave’s view is changed substantially by learning about Gandhi . Have you ever read about someone whose example made you rethink the way you view the world? Who was it, and how did that person affect you?

· Do you think the kids in your school talk the way the “Unshushables” do? Would your class be able to spend two days speaking no more than three words at a time? What do you think would be the hardest part of doing that?

· Have you ever thought about how we speak to each other? If you were forced to consider your words more carefully like Dave was, how do you think your conversation would change?

· How do the relationships between the kids at Laketon Elementary change during the contest?

· Share your opinion of this book – in just three words. Make it as descriptive an answer as you can.

http://www.andrewclements.com

Christopher Paul Curtis

ELIJAH OF BUXTON

Scholastic, 2007. ISBN 978-0-4390-2344-3. $16.99. 341 pages.

Elijah, age 11, narrates this Newbery Honor book in his own lively dialect. He was the first black child born to freedom in the settlement of Buxton, a haven for escaped and former slaves in southern Ontario, not far from Detroit. Many of the adults in 1860 Buxton have poignant personal stories to tell and still fear the threat of slave catchers.

For Elijah, Buxton’s rich community life, depicted with humor and humanity, exemplifies its creed of “one helping one to uplift all.” Elijah’s days involve school, family chores, time for fishing and exploring, helping neighbors, and hanging out with the enigmatic Preacher. He hopes to rid himself of being “fra-gile,” and practices to perfection his skill of “chunking” stones.

The atmosphere deepens when a group of newcomers furtively approach Buxton and are gently coaxed by one of the children into the welcoming safety of the community. Later, things really intensify when the Preacher disappears with the savings that Mr. Leroy had ardently hoped would buy freedom for his family.

Elijah embarks on a dangerous journey, traveling across the U.S. border into Detroit, risking capture, trying to find the Preacher and recover the money. Elijah bravely disables an attack dog with a chunking stone, enters a dark stable, and there finds captured slaves chained to the walls amidst a pungent smell of fear. Will Elijah be able to help the captives and safely escape? Discover the power of words and the message of hope that Christopher Paul Curtis brings to life.

Read-aloud hook: Start on p. 116, with the first sentence: “Me and the Preacher walked...” to p. 120, end of the first paragraph: “He jerked my hand away from covering my face.”

Discussion questions:

· Elijah talks about being “fra-gile.” Is this a good adjective for describing Elijah? Why or why not?

· Elijah says the Preacher’s “a mighty smart man” but the adults of Buxton don’t seem fond of him. What sort of person is the Preacher and what is his role in the story?

· Compare and contrast Elijah’s life with the life of a boy in slavery.

· What is special about Buxton?

www.nobodybutcurtis.com

Russell Freedman

WHO WAS FIRST? DISCOVERING THE AMERICAS.

Clarion Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-66391-0. $19.00. 88 pages.

Where does Sinbad the Sailor appear in Chinese history? Why was France responsible for the Portuguese crown’s decision to sponsor Columbus’s westward voyages? Are the figures in some Mayan sculptures wearing Buddhist robes? Why was Eric the Red banished from Iceland for three years -- and what did he do while he was away?

Russell Freedman does a masterful job of showing how the answers to these, and many other questions must be woven together to create the early history of the Americas. As he traces the rise and fall of historical theories and beliefs about their “discovery,” he also demonstrates the dynamic nature of history with a clarity which may surprise those who are used to thinking of history as a static list of dates, names, and places. The epic stories of Columbus, Zheng He, Leif the Lucky, and countless anonymous others are intertwined with the dramatic struggles of the historians who seek to give them their proper place in history.

Teachers and librarians will appreciate Freedman’s well-chosen illustrations, thorough documentation, and balanced discussion of cultural conflicts. But it is his appealing narrative style (refreshingly free from sidebars) which will engage even confirmed avoiders of nonfiction.

Read-aloud hooks:

· Columbus struggles to manage his crew: p. 2 “I am having serious trouble…”

· A description of the Chinese treasure fleet: p. 23 “All together the great armada included…” and p. 24 “Although each treasure ship…”

· For thoughtful readers, a description of a solitary search for a Viking settlement in North America: p. 42 “Helge Ingstad…”

Discussion questions:

· What was the most surprising thing you learned from this book? Did you learn anything that contradicts “facts” you already knew?

· Some of the illustrations were created hundreds of years after the scenes they depict. What are the good and bad points about doing this?

· Do you think we will ever know for sure who the first Europeans to visit the New World were? Or Asians? Why?

John Grandits

BLUE LIPSTICK

Clarion, 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-56860-4. $15.00. 41 pages.

From the hysterically rational, mirror-shaped analysis of whether or not a “Fall” complexion can wear blue lipstick in the title poem to the all-too-familiar details of “A Chart of My Emotional Day,” high school student Jessie takes on the particular and the universal in this book of concrete poems.

Each poem bears a shape and font related to its topic: “Bad Hair Day” both tells and shows the sad aftermath of a hair dye experiment gone awry, and the visual path of gossip in “The Secret” shows why telling one person is rarely as safe as we’d wish.

Jessie is a believable, likeable young woman who considers both the mundane (a belching younger brother and inedible school lunches) and the life-altering (a false friend
and the possible existence of angels) with equal absorption. We can all find some part of ourselves in these funny, honest poems.

Read-aloud hooks: Concrete poems must be seen for the full effect. For a taste of Jessie’s sense of humor, show and read “Girls: Feeling Low? ...we have the solution!” or “Tattoo and Tongue Stud” (both from the second half of the book; pages unnumbered).

Discussion questions:

· One of Jessie’s early poems is titled “The Wall,” and the collection ends with “The Wall (Revisited).” What happens in the interceding poems to cause the shift between those on “My Side” and “The Other Side” of Jessie’s emotional wall?

· In “Pep Rally,” Jessie says she’s sure she’d hate cheerleader Andrea Herkimer if they ever had reason to speak to each other. In the encounter described in “Silver Spandex,” Jessie comes to a different conclusion. Have you ever judged someone based on personal appearance and/or their chosen activities only to discover later you were wrong? How might someone misjudge you based on those things?

· With which poem do you feel the greatest connection? Why?

· In “Grownups: Talking, A+, Listening, D-”, Jessie describes the conversations almost every teen endures at family gatherings. What do you wish the adults in your life would ask you?

Jessie Haas

CHASE

Greenwillow, 2007. ISBN 978-0-0611-2850-9 (Tr.); 978-0-06-112851-6

(PLB). $17.89. 250 pages.

By the fourth page of Chase, Phin has witnessed a murder; by the sixth, he’s been framed for it; and by the end of the first chapter, he’s on the run. He runs and hides and falls and hides again, always a whisker away from discovery. He has help from a friend and an innkeeper, but mostly he’s on his own. Haas’ breathless prose conveys Phin’s fear and speed, and her pacing amplifies the novel’s suspense. As is so often true in her work, when a horse enters the story the plot expands and her lyrical love of the animals animates the writing.

Chase is a fine historical novel, taut with suspense and keen language. It is also a window into the spirits and thoughts of people wearied by the Civil War. A widowed mother washes her way through mountains of dirty overalls so her son can stay out of the mines. Staying out of the mines, Phin works in the inn’s stables and reads Wordsworth and Emerson to his mother while she works. Working against the power and money behind the mines, Ned Plume murders a man he sees as the oppressor. Working with the power and money behind those mines, Fraser finds reason to chase Phin.

This book will appeal to a broad cross section of readers. Haas succeeds in bridging the gaps between an animal adventure and an historic panorama, between action and thoughtfulness.

Read-aloud hook: Phin has witnessed a murder and in his headlong flight he nearly perishes a few times. Running again, he now gets the first inkling of another threat. “A horse and rider came out in the open… lifted the stallion into a canter, straight up the meadow.” (pp. 102-103).

Discussion questions:

· There are times in Chase where Phin’s knowledge of horses is really important – name a few.

· Both Ned Plume and Fraser are scary guys, but which do you think is the more dangerous? Why?

· Ralph Waldo Emerson is still an important American writer and a great thinker. His essays are short but not easy to read, yet a washerwoman and a farm family knew them well. What does this suggest to you about the period?

· Why did Phin decide first to keep Ned’s wallet, but then burned his list?

· In the end, Plume doesn’t kill Phin, though he could have. Why doesn’t he?

http://www.jessiehaas.com/works.htm

Shannon Hale

BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS

Bloomsbury, 2007. ISBN 978-1-59990-051-3. $17.95. 305 pages.

What would you have to do to make your father so angry that he would lock you into a tower for seven years? Lady Saren has refused to marry Lord Khasar, and that is the fate her father has decreed for her.

But, before Lady Saren is sealed in with bricks and mortar, her father supplies the tower with seven years worth of food and fuel. Nor is she alone. Her maid, Dashti, a common mucker girl fresh from the animal herds of the steppes, has chosen to honor her vow of service and accompany Saren into the tower. It is Dashti’s knowledge of healing songs, fires, and other practical matters that enables the girls to survive heat, cold, rats, and boredom. Out of necessity, Dashti begins to assume the role of leader, even though subservience to the gentry is deeply ingrained in her mucker upbringing. So it is only natural that, when Lady Saren’s suitors, the dread Khasar and the charming Khan Tegus, arrive at the tower, Dashti should be the one who deals with them. In the style of Cyrano de Bergerac, they both mistake Dashti for her lady. This means little while they are in the tower, but complicates the situation enormously when, driven by starvation and inspired by rats, they escape. Eventually, Dashti’s patience, humility, and faith enable her to defeat Khasar and claim Tegus as her own.

Whether the scene is set in a throne room or a herder’s gher, Hale has rendered the culture of the Eight Realms, which resembles that of ancient Mongolia, in exquisite detail. She has infused this retelling of a Grimm story with a gentle magic which reflects Dashti’s calm and determined character and will also enchant the reader.

Read-aloud hooks:

· Pretending to be Saren, Dashti speaks to Tegus a second time from inside the tower: p. 32 “‘I’m here,’ I said.”

· Dashti discovers a problem with the supplies: p. 21 “As my lady didn’t budge . . .”

Discussion questions:

· How would the story have been different if Dashti had been less patient and subservient with her social superiors?

· Could Dashti have been the same person if she were beautiful? Would it have changed her relationships with the other characters?

· Dashti’s relationships with animals are also important to her. Have you had a pet who meant as much to you as My Lord or Mucker did to Dashti?

· If you were going to be locked into a tower for seven years, what would you take with you?

http://www.squeetus.com

Kirkpatrick Hill

DO NOT PASS GO

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4169-1400-6.

$15.99. 229 pages.

This timely novel takes a hard hit at the problem of coping with a parent in jail, and it is fitting that the setting is Alaska, mostly in wintertime. Deet is a loner, a serious youth; he worries about his parents’ relaxed and procrastinating ways and sometimes feels he’s the only adult in the house. His kind Dad takes a second job to support the family, but gets arrested and sent to jail for taking amphetamines to stay awake. Now the family of five faces not only a tight budget and the added expense of a lawyer, but the emotional strain of separation, shame, and an uncertain future. Deet dreads the idea of Dad in jail, convinced it is a mean and dangerous place.

Something that helps, however, is his homework for English class. Deet’s creative writing teacher, Mr. Hodges, has assigned students to find two favorite quotes each week and write short essays interpreting them. Deet looks for meaning in quotes such as this one by William Butler Yeats: “I have certainly known more men destroyed by the desire to have a wife and child and keep them in comfort than I have seen destroyed by drink and harlots.”

Deet’s opinionated outlook begins to soften after he is permitted to visit his Dad in jail and observes people in the visiting area. He sees a young woman with a baby, an elderly couple with a grandson, and lots of ordinary people coming faithfully to visit their loved ones behind bars. He even discovers that a popular girl in his class has a brother in jail, and this common experience leads to a new friendship. By the time spring comes and Dad is released to a halfway house, Deet has grown to accept that good people make mistakes, that jail isn’t the end of the world, and that his family will be okay.

Read-aloud hook: p. 53 “When Deet woke up...” to p. 56, the last full paragraph, ending: “Maybe it wasn’t any big deal.”

Discussion questions:

· How old is Deet? What clues does the author provide?

· In what ways is Deet changing?

· Discuss the meaning of the book’s title.

· Did your view of people in prison change at all after reading this book?

Jennifer A. Holm

Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf

Atheneum, 2007. ISBN 978-0-6898-5281-7. $12.99. Unpaged.

What if your garbage collector decided to become a writer? This book is absolute proof that he or she would have great material to piece together a story from everyday items, that could transcend everyday life. And in the hands of a good enough storyteller, the book might be something like Jennifer Holm’s Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf. Deciding to investigate the “stuff” of Ginny’s life—receipts, notes, memos, graded assignments, IMs, poems, cartoons, hallway passes, disciplinary reports, and more—Holm has created a hilarious, poignant, and fascinating portrait of a girl trying to make her way through a difficult year.

Some of Ginny’s travails are not unexpected, but Holm manages to give them great twists. When Ginny wants to “Look good in the school photo for once!!!”, and “Do something with hair to make nose look smaller. Color?? Perm??” (numbers 3 and 4 from her Big To-Do List for seventh grade), we see the preparation: Totally You Hair Color box (Strawberry Sunset), towel, cutout from a magazine, bathroom sink, and the receipt from Roy’s Drugs. On the next page, we see the aftermath: receipts from the salon for a hair color reversal and from Vito’s Plumbing for an emergency call after bubble bath clogs the Jacuzzi jets, and her mom’s checkbook. So much for those items on the Big To-Do List….

There is also depth to Ginny’s character and genuine love in her family. When asked to “Describe Something You Lost,” for an English assignment, Ginny’s topic is “My Dad.” One of her personal poems finishes, “Henry may be a juvenile delinquent, but he’s still my favorite brother.” And her teacher comments, after thanking her mom for the original gift of an apple paperweight, “You can tell [Ginny] is loved by the openness she displays in her opinions.” It is this love, coming from many sources, that cushions Ginny as she makes her way through the maze of middle-school life and family problems.

Read-aloud hook: Poem midway through the book, beginning with, “I think you should get a badge….”

Discussion questions:

· What would people learn about you by looking at your bank statements? Notebook cover? Emails?

· If you were to write a series of notes addressed “To Whom it May Concern” from “The Management,” what would possible topics be?

· Why do you think this book was published with no page numbers?

· How does Ginny learn from her mistakes in the course of the year?

· What kinds of things would you want to do with a Grandpa Joe?

· How well do you think the layout of this book works? Are there ways that it succeeds, and ways that it falls flat?

http://www.jenniferholm.com (needs to be updated)

John Hulme and Michael Wexler

THE SEEMS: THE GLITCH IN SLEEP

Bloomsbury, 2007. ISBN 978-1-59990-129-9. $16.95. 274 pages.

When 3rd-grader Becker Drane, “a regular kid in a regular town with a pretty regular life” saw the application box with a sign that read, “Apply here for the best job in the world,” he couldn't resist filling out the application. From then on, his life was anything but regular. When his application was accepted, he learned that he was to be trained as a worker in “The Seems,” the place where all things that happen in our world are controlled. Now, three years later, he has achieved the coveted position of Fixer and has been called in to find the Glitch in the sleep department so that people in the world can get a good night's rest. Alternating with Becker's work in The Seems are chapters showing his life at home and scenes from the lives of several people around the world whose lives will be badly altered if they get no sleep. He takes special interest in a Canadian girl, Jennifer, who has moved recently and is having a tough time fitting in at her new school.

The Glitch eludes Becker and his “briefer” (assistant), Simly. As their time to act slips away, it's clear that they are in danger of failing. Yet, Becker takes time to interfere with a dream intended for Jennifer and nearly ruins both the mission and her chance for happiness. Becker has several supporters among the fixers. His first mission was with Casey Lake, a skilled young woman with nerves of steel. He shares training with a young Frenchman, Thibadeau Freck. (Languages are not a problem because there is a translation device which fits over the tongue.) And Jelani Blaque, an older African man with a humane attitude, serves well as a mentor. He also has a strong family life in Highland Park, N.J. with two minimally addled parents and an adoring younger brother. It would be reasonable to expect to find these characters turning up in the second book in this new series, The Seems: The Split Second: Book 2, which is due to be published in September of 2008. Full of wicked puns and wry references to modern culture and classic literature, this is a series for lovers of the goofy as much as science fiction fans.

Read-aloud hook: pp. 31 - 32. Before he knows anything about The Seems, Becker receives a packet of weird instructions and, thinking maybe it's all just a dream, decides to follow them. “So he figured what the heck,……..WHAM!”

Discussion questions:

· If you came across an application box like the one Becker did, would you fill out the application? Why or why not?

· Most kids are taught early not to speak to strangers. Why is it okay in this story for a smart kid like Becker to take such weird directions from a stranger?

· What in Jennifer’s dream will make life at school easier for her?

· What do you think might happen to the friendship between Becker and Thibadeau?

Lynne Jonell

EMMY AND THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING RAT

Henry Holt, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8050-8150-3. $17.95. 346 pages.

Emmy is a very lonely girl, that is until a talking rat grudgingly befriends her. Emmy’s parents travel most of the time and she is left in the care of the nanny Miss Barmy. Why is Miss Barmy so cold and often cruel to Emmy? Why does she constantly feed her special medicines and foods? Why are Emmy’s parents always traveling? Emmy’s friendship with the Rat sets off a chain of events that finally bring some answers.

When Joe Benson, a classmate of Emmy’s, is bitten by the Rat, he too can hear the Rat talking. The story then takes us to The Antique Rat, an antique store filled with items all decorated with some form of a rodent. But the real items of worth are the caged rodents in the back of the shop. Each has a tag identifying what the rodent can do: “Infusion of courage”. “Guaranteed to sniff out a lie.” “To induce calming sleep.” Why would Miss Barmy need to shop here? Does this have anything to do with her parents traveling all the time or the kids at school not noticing Emmy?

Read aloud hooks:

· She really was a little too good. Which is why she liked to sit by the Rat. The Rat was not good at all. When the children at Grayson Lake Elementary reached in to feed him, he snapped at their fingers. … just imagining things. Page 2-3

· “You little Thief,” Professor Vole rasped, low in his throat. “Where’s my rat?” “Now just a minute!” The indignant voice of Mr. Herbifore came over the roaring in Emmy’s ears. … Mr. Herbifore pushed the man out the door, slammed it hard, and picked up the phone. Page 82-85

· Amid the sudden babble of voices, Emmy lay still. “Are you all right, little girl? What happened?” “Did you see a boy come through here?” Emmy put a hand weakly to her head and tried for a dazed expression. … A Shrinking Rat. Of Schenectady, whatever that means.” Page 101-103

Discussion questions:

· Emmy was always doing her best work and never getting recognized for it. Why was she never noticed at school? How would it feel to never be noticed? What would you do if you were Emmy?

· Being able to talk to animals is a common theme in books. What would you like to talk to animals about?

· The rodents in Antique Rat all have different abilities. Which do you think is the most useful and why?

http://www.lynnejonell.com

Cynthia Kadohata

CRACKER!

Atheneum, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4169-0637-7. $16.99. 320 pages.

When Willie’s family moves from a house to an apartment that doesn’t allow dogs, he must give up his beloved German Shepherd, Cracker (short for Firecracker). Unable to find a family to take Cracker, he donates her to the army to be trained to go to Vietnam to find hidden mines, traps and ambushes. Cracker’s whole world is Willie and, at first she is miserable, confused and angry. Her trainer is a new recruit named Rick, an ok guy, but not her Willie. Gradually, however, they learn to work together, to respect one another, to trust one another and finally to love one another deeply. Cracker turns out to be the best dog in the company, and she is chosen for the hardest missions when hundreds of men’s lives depend on what the dog in front finds.

During a siege Cracker and Rick become separated and Rick is badly wounded. He is to be sent home to recuperate, but all he cares about is finding Cracker. Everyone is sympathetic, but there is no word about where she is. When he arrives stateside, all he does is write letters trying to locate his dog. Weeks pass, and although others think he is wasting his time, he never gives up hope. And then the impossible happens: Cracker is found and flown home!

This is a successful mixture of dog and war stories. Dog lovers will be fascinated by the fact that some of the story is told from Cracker’s point of view, and kids who love action will find plenty of danger and fighting to hold their interest. This is a good introduction for today’s kids to the Vietnam War, showing both the horrors of war and the way the returning soldiers were treated by their fellow countrymen.

Read-aloud hook: In Vietnam after a first small mission, Rick and Cracker feel good about themselves: p. 122 start with “Cracker,” and end on the next page with, “They were important together.”

Discussion questions:

· Some of this book is told by the dog herself. Does this device work for you?

· If you had to fight in a war, would you want to be a dog handler? Why or why not?

· Discuss how Rick’s and Cracker’s feelings about each other change during the course of the novel.

· At one point Rick and Cracker go on a special mission. How does this change Rick?

· When Cracker returns to the USA, Rick invites her first owner, Willie, to come to see her. Was the decision for Rick to keep the dog the right one?

http://www.kira-kira.us/

Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal.

Amulet, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8109-9313-6. $12.95. 217 pages.

By this time, Greg Heffley probably needs no introduction for many of you. For those not familiar with him, just think of Harry Potter. You remember him? An unfortunate kid unaware of his place in life and his many gifts, who triumphs thanks to the power of love? Well, that’s NOT Greg.

Greg is painfully aware of his place in life. And this year, he’s pretty sure he is “around 52^nd or 53^rd most popular” (p. 7). Ever the optimist, Greg is looking forward to moving up when Charlie Davies gets his braces. And optimism is one of Greg’s great gifts. Despite the odds, he has plans. Big plans. To create a haunted house and rake in big bucks, he and his friend Rowley map out the hall of screams, lake of blood, bottomless pit, rat tunnel, maze of 1,000 skulls, knife alley, hand hall, death slide, and the acid lake. But the only part they actually finish, The Hall of Screams, is “basically a bed with me and Rowley on either side of it” (p. 57).

Whether it’s teaching the Whirley Street kids a lesson, becoming a member of safety patrol, being named school cartoonist, hoping to be voted Class Clown, or getting rid of “The Cheese,” Greg’s plans have a way of backfiring in the most hilarious ways.

Read-aloud hook: Greg is excited to start the wrestling unit in Gym, until he finds out more about it. Start at p. 80 Thursday: “Well, I found out today….” to the end of p. 83.

Discussion questions:

· What do you think the message of this book is?

· The subtitle of the book is “A Novel in Cartoons.” How do the cartoons help convey the message of the book?

· How does the author use irony to make a point? Give a couple examples.

· How does Greg show both ignorance and self-knowledge?

· Greg seems to live his life by what he thinks of as unwritten, unspoken rules. What are some of these from the book? Are there any of these kinds of rules at work in your school or home?

· What kind of patient do you think Greg is at the dentist? What would his diary entry be after a trip to the dentist?

http://www.wimpykid.com/

Gordon Korman

SCHOOLED

Hyperion, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7868-5692-3. $15.99. 208 pages.

Gordon Korman delivers the ultimate underdog fantasy in this story of a sheltered, home schooled teen whose first encounter with the rest of the world takes place in a public middle school. Capricorn Anderson has spent his first thirteen years living on a hippie commune – a commune that at this point consists only of himself and his grandmother, Rain. When the 67-year-old Rain lands in the hospital after falling from a plum tree, Cap’s life becomes a series of firsts: seeing his first police office up close (he gets arrested for driving Rain to the hospital), sees his first fist fight (“Buttwipe wanted to know what Jerkface was looking at…”) and gets elected president of the 8^th grade (a dubious honor typically dumped on the least popular kid at Claverage Middle School, or “C average Middle School” as it is known whenever the school sign gets vandalized.).

Cap’s innocence gives him the license to do and say things the rest of us have often wished we could, and to ask questions about the parts of school life we’ve always hated but have felt powerless to change. By the time Cap says his emotional goodbye to his 1,100 classmates, calling each by name, readers will be cheering and maybe, just maybe, viewing their own classmates a little differently.

Read-aloud hook: Growing up in isolation with his hippie grandmother has made Cap completely innocent of the way some students behave and speak to each other – and also innocent of the sarcasm the teachers expect to hear from most of them. In this scene, Cap witnesses his first school fight and makes the mistake of answering a teacher honestly. Read from page 18 (“What are you looking at, jerkface?”) to page 19 (“I was the one who got sent to Mr. Kasigi’s office.”)

Discussion questions:

· Imagine you have been elected president of your grade and, like Cap, you get handed a blank checkbook by the principal. What would you do with it?

· Class nerd Hugh Winkleman says if you want to understand middle school students, you need to “follow the wedgies. Wedgie-givers and wedgie-receivers.” How is social status organized at your school? What sort of bullying is considered normal by kids in your school?

· Cap’s presence changes the lives of many of his fellow students, including Zach Powers. How would the kids you know react to someone like Cap? Do you think they would be capable of changing their views the way Zach and the others did?

www.gordonkorman.com

Adam Rex

THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY.

Hyperion, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7868-4900-0. $16.99. 423 pages.

Buddies on a road trip. Multiple alien invasions. Family dynamics. Post-apocalyptic social structures. Loyal pets. Teleportation, cloning, and telecloning. Wrap these elements together in a net of wicked social satire and you too will understand the true meaning of Smekday.

Eleven year old Tip Tucci is one of the first humans to know something is wrong when the Boov abduct her mother into their spaceship with a giant vacuum cleaner hose. Then they start to blow up major landmarks, like the Snow Queen’s Castle at Happy Mouse Land. They have just about finished herding the entire population of the United States into a Human Preserve in Florida when the bad aliens show up, and the real trouble begins. But Tip is not alone. She and her cat, Pig, are joined in their search for her mother by a delinquent Boov, who has given himself the human name of J.Lo. The trio manages not only to find Tip’s mom, but to overcome the obstacles posed by smiling politicians and other well-intentioned human adults in order to defeat the evil Gorg and save the planet Earth. Tip’s dry observations on human (and alien) nature, and J.Lo’s unique handling of the English language create a dialog that will keep readers engaged at a variety of levels. As for Pig; well, she has other contributions to make.

Read-aloud hooks:

· Before Tip makes friends with J.Lo, she has him trapped in the freezer of a looted convenience store: p. 21 “What for are you did this?”

· J.Lo explains how he inadvertently drew the attention of the Gorg to Earth: p. 146 “You probably better tell me about this thing.”

Discussion questions:

· Tip and her mom both change to meet the challenges of post-Boov life. How do you think you might react to that situation? How about the rest of your family?

· Do you agree with Tip’s decision to keep the true story of the Boov invasion out of the public eye? Why?

· Why do you think Adam Rex chose to tell part of this story through images -- illustrations, comic book pages, teachers’ comments, etc.?

· Yoda, Jar-Jar Binks, and J.Lo are all aliens who use English in a peculiar way, usually with a comic effect. Do you think a regular hero or heroine could be taken seriously with J.Lo’s grammar?

http://adamrex.com/

http://www.smekday.com/

James Rumford

BEOWULF: A HERO’S TALE RETOLD.

Houghton Mifflin, 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-75637-7. $17.00. Unpaged.

“. . .he was strong-willed and fire-hearted, keen to be known throughout the world for great deeds.”

This wholly accessible retelling of Beowulf preserves the flavor and spirit of the original, while adding a new dimension with its perfectly blended artwork. Although highly simplified from the original three thousand lines, Rumford has retained the critical elements of the original plot -- the taking of oaths, the fierce fighting, the ritual distribution of the spoils of war, and the sacrifice of a king for his people. He has also included the original poetic elements of alliteration and kennings, and chosen to write using only words with Anglo-Saxon roots. Many clever cultural icons are embedded in the illustrations -- Beowulf’s broken sword takes on the shape of a talismanic hammer of Thor, a solitary Christian monk appears trailing the crowd at Beowulf’s heathen funeral, the fire drake of the final episode appears piecemeal in the borders of the illustrations until it moves into the action of the plot, whereupon its place is taken by a growing number of ravens, all presaging Beowulf’s demise.

This book will serve as a perfect introduction to this oldest of English stories for today’s young readers searching for heroes.

Read-aloud hooks:

· Introduction: p. 1 “What you have heard is nothing…”

· Beowulf’s fight with Grendel: p. 11 “When sleep was at its deepest…”

Discussion questions:

· This is the oldest surviving story that was written in the language that became English. Why do you think it has survived for twelve hundred years?

· J.R.R. Tolkien was an expert on Beowulf. Do you see any similarities between this story and his writing?

· What do you think the rest of Wiglaf‘s life will be like?

· Keeping promises, or oaths, was important to Beowulf and the other characters. Do you think people today feel the same way?

Laura Amy Schlitz

GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES!

Candlewick Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7636-1578-9. $19.99. 85 pages.

Through the eyes of twenty-three young people we get an account of what it might have been like to live in the Middle Ages. We see Hugo the lord’s nephew as he finds a boar in the woods and then must show his bravery by killing it like a man or being flogged like a boy by his uncle. Then there’s Constance the pilgrim, making her way to Winifred’s well hoping to be cured of her hunched back. And Edgar the falconer’s son, should he let the falcon that he has raised from a nestling go free and chance being whipped or worse? Should he let Simon the spoiled son of the knight kill it with neglect?

Young people from every walk of life are heard in these monologues, telling their, at times, heart wrenching stories. Ms Schlitz uses short background pieces interspersed with the monologues to explain some of the people and practices of medieval time. These, along with the monologues and Robert Byrd’s amazing pen and ink drawings which look like medieval manuscripts, give readers a window into the time period.

Whether you are studying the Middle Ages, participating in a theatrical performance or just a lover of history, this book takes you to the Middle Ages and allows you to be a part of it all.

Read-aloud hook: Urine, ashes, lime, and stale beer are among the horrible smells of

Drogo, the tanner’s apprentice world. The harshness and filth of the Middle Ages can be seen in this monologue. We also see the interconnectedness of the town’s people through the eyes of Drogo.

“I don’t mind the stink…You hold your nostrils – and hold your tongue” (pp. 77-78).

Discussion questions:

· When Mogg’s father dies the lord of the manor has the right to take his most valuable animal. How would you feel if someone were able to take your most prized possession and you could do nothing about it? Do you think you would have tried to trick the lord as Mogg’s family did?

· Jack the half-wit befriends Otho the miller’s son when the other kids have beaten him up. What makes Jack want to help Otho? How does Otho repay Jack for his kindness?

· Which monologue would you choose to perform and why?

Gary Schmidt

THE WEDNESDAY WARS

Clarion, 2007. ISBN 978-0-6187-2483-3. $16.00. 264 pages.

Ah, the first day of school. Kids return, some eager and some reluctant, but all hoping for a good start to a long year. For Holling Hoodhood, though, the first day of seventh grade is not the beginning he had imagined. When Mrs. Baker looks at Holling, “this look came over her face like the sun had winked out and was not going to shine again until next June” (p. 4). This dislike is not rooted in anything that Holling has done; no, it is because Holling will be the only student in Mrs. Baker’s class NOT involved in either Hebrew school or catechism every Wednesday afternoon. Instead, he will spend the afternoons with Mrs. Baker. The Wednesday wars have begun.

From that day forward, Holling is sure that Mrs. Baker has him in her sights. She suggests to the principal that Holling retake 6^th-grade math on Wednesday afternoons. He is sure that she encouraged Doug Swieteck’s older brother to flatten Holling on the soccer field. And she must have evil designs when she tells him to clean the cage of Sycorax and Caliban, the class rats, who are huge and make sounds “that were never heard anywhere else in Nature” (p. 41). However, after Holling and Mrs. Baker begin to read Shakespeare, Holling, like Hamlet, discovers, “there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” (Hamlet, Act I, Scene v). Holling’s real education has just begun.

Read-aloud hook: Holling is sure Mrs. Baker is plotting something against him, and he’s right. Start near the top of p. 17-“Mrs. Baker’s face was pinched when we came back into the class-” until p. 19-“But I saw that there was a song of victory on her lips already.”

Discussion questions:

· “When gods die, they die hard” (p. 93). How does Holling experience the metaphorical deaths of many gods in The Wednesday Wars?

· What new gods replace those who have “died”?

· How do the plays Holling reads with Mrs. Baker mirror events in the book?

· If The Wednesday Wars were a Shakespearean play, would it be labeled a comedy, a history, or a tragedy? Why?

· Practice some of the Shakespearean curses Holling learns. Use them in class situations for extra credit!

Brian Selznick

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET

Scholastic, 2007. ISBN 978-0-4398-1378-5. 531 pages.

Brian Selznick’s latest book defies definition and has been known to make some students stumble before picking it up due to its sheer size. Opening this tome the reader is treated to page after page of illustrations. Each picture builds upon the last, continuing to take the action forward--until at last we discover a few sentences tucked in amongst the artwork.

Young Hugo is an orphan and a thief living in a train station in Paris. His uncle used to be in charge of winding all of the clocks, but he is gone and now Hugo keeps the clocks running. His real goal, however, is to figure out what parts he is in need of, and steal them from the toymaker. Hugo’s father left him with something that is in need of repair, and Hugo is determined to make it work again. But can he find what he needs and keep his identity a secret?

This story revolves around secrets and mysteries. What do a toymaker, a thief and a young girl have to do with each other? How do their lives intersect? You’ll have to read the words and pictures to figure that out. Along the way you’ll be given a glimpse into the world of French cinema and old black & white films. It’s a journey worth taking, one you won’t soon forget.

Read-aloud hooks: Open to Chapter 1 and slowly turn each page. Ask these questions: Where are we? Who is the boy? What is he after?

Or: Turn to Chapter 7. “Hugo had never been inside the bookstore before….” “…She closed the book she had been reading and motioned for Hugo to come over.” Then turn the page.

Discussion questions:

· How do the words and pictures work together in this book? It has been said that Selznick has broken down barriers between a traditional picturebook and chapter books. What would this book be like with more pictures, or more words? Would it be more or less appealing either way?

· Many of Melies’s works are available online; download and watch a few, including “A Trip to the Moon.” How does his movie magic compare with technology today?

· Had you ever heard of automata before reading this book? If you could create one, what would you have it do?

· In the beginning Hugo is called a thief. He has indeed stolen parts from the toymaker, and is secretly living at the train station. Do you agree or disagree with some of the choices Hugo has made in his life? If you found yourself in the same situation, what would you do?

· The toymaker takes Hugo's notebook and says he is going to burn it. Have you ever had a journal or sketchbook? If it were lost or stolen, what lengths would you go to to get it back?

· When the Station Inspector captures Hugo and locks him up, what did you think was going to happen next?

· What about the ending of the book, the part entitled Six Months Later—did it end as you imagined it might?

http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/intro_flash.htm

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-selznick-brian.asp - Author interview

Roland Smith

ELEPHANT RUN

Hyperion, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4231-0402-5. $15.99. 336 pages.

In 1941 bombs are being dropped on London, and when 14-year-old Nick Freestone’s apartment is destroyed, his mother decides to send him to his father’s teak plantation in Burma where he will be safe. It has been years since Nick was in Burma, and he needs to be shown everything as if for the first time: the mahouts who train and care for the working elephants, the elephants themselves, how the plantation works. But he does not find safety because almost as soon as he arrives, the Japanese invade Burma, and the plantation house is seized to house the Japanese soldiers. Nick’s father is soon taken away and imprisoned, and Nick is left to work for the Japanese Colonel and his men. Nick discovers that he cannot trust all of his father’s employees, because some of them resent British rule and think that the Japanese will liberate them, so they conspire to help the Japanese. Nick plays safe, learns Japanese and works in the garden for many months, all the time wondering when and if he will see his father again. Finally he gets word from his father that he is imprisoned in Burma, not far away. Then, with the help of an ancient but very competent and well-respected monk named Hilltop, Nick and his Burmese friend Mya escape on elephant back to search out the POW camps and try to free Nick’s father and Mya’s brother. The journey to the camp is fraught with danger: hiding from the Japanese; running into bandits and surviving in the jungle.

This is a fast paced adventure that will appeal to both animal and adventure lovers.

Read-aloud hook: Nick knows that there is a very dangerous rogue elephant, Hannibal, who was injured by a tiger years ago and now trusts no one, but he was not prepared for his first meeting. Read pp. 39-41.

Discussion questions:

· What do you think about Hilltop? Could he really have done all the things and been to all the places he claimed?

· Have you ever known anyone who had a really close rapport with animals? How did they communicate?

· What did you think of the ending? Did you like everything being wrapped up so easily, or was the jump in time a bit of a shock for you?

· Compare Nick and his father’s situation in Burma with that of the Japanese Colonel’s family in America.

· If you discovered a secret passageway or room in your house, what would you do about it?

http://www.rolandsmith.com

James Sturm and Rich Tommaso

SATCHEL PAIGE: Striking Out Jim Crow

Jump at the Sun, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7868-3900-1. $16.99. 89 pages.

In this appealing graphic novel, Satchel Paige is actually a secondary character whose own story is told in a preface. When he appears in the fictional tale of Emmet, an 18-year-old sharecropper with a talent for batting, he is already the legendary pitcher of the Negro League. Emmet, who has left his young wife in the hope of earning money playing baseball, does manage to get a solid hit off Satchel but severely injures his knee while sliding into home and never plays again. Years later, he takes his own son, Emmet Jr., to a game pitting the Negro League team, the Satchel Paige All-Stars, against a local white team which stars the bigoted Jennings twins whose carelessness and racism have made the years since their father died even harder for the black sharecroppers. The outcome provokes some serious thinking about why “small men get so large and who made it so.” While the format is simple, the material is quite serious. Various subjects such as sharecropping and lynching, which are touched on in passing in the main story, are given fuller explanations in an appendix section titled “Panel Discussion.” Emmet’s first-person account of his experiences, told in the crisp shorthand of the cartoon panels, evokes real empathy in the reader. A strong tale simply told can be very effective.

Read-aloud hook: pp. 9-12. (It will be important to show the pictures as well as read the text.) Young Emmet, a new player in the Negro League, comes up against the pitching of the great Satchel Paige. “Paige walks around the mound….CRACK!”

Discussion questions:

· Why would the authors choose to tell the story of a real person through a fictional character?

· Why do the Jennings boys think they have a right to do what they do?

· Why was baseball so important to Emmet?

· How do you think this story would be different if it were a regular novel instead of a graphic novel?

· Who is the hero of this story?

· Could this story have taken place in Vermont?

www.cartoonstudies.org/jamessturm.html

Sarah L. Thomson

DRAGON’S EGG

Greenwillow, 2007. ISBN 978-0-06-128848-7. $16.99. 267 pages.

Little does Mella know how her life is about to change on the day the Dragon’s Egg comes into her keeping. Honor bound by one of the dragons of old to take the Egg to the Hatching Ground, Mella and Roger the Squire start on their journey. Along the way they are kidnapped by Alain who has recognized Roger’s true identity. They escape with the help of the wild dragons and then are helped to the Hatching Ground by Gwyn who believes their story. Finally they reach the Hatching Ground only to be mistrusted by the dragons themselves.

This tale is about honor and trust. The dragons of old have been cheated by humans in the past. It is up to Mella and Roger to bring that trust back by honoring the promise made to a dying dragon. We see both Mella and Roger grow through the trials they endure. Roger is a young man running away from the responsibilities of birth. In the end he is able to help forge a new treaty between the dragons and humans. Mella learns what it means to be responsible for others as she cares for the Dragon’s Egg.

Read-aloud hooks:

· Page 4-5: “What a smell of dragons!” Mella’s sister, Lilla, slicing bread at the table, wrinkled her nose as Mella hurried into the kitchen. “Mind your manners and count your blessings,” Mama said crisply. “If Mella didn’t have the touch with the dragons, we’d have to …” to end of paragraph.

· Page 32-33: “Thief!” Something long and smooth whipped around Mella’s waist, and her feet were lifted off the ground, so quickly that she had no time even to scream. Not that screaming would have done her much good, Mella thought, as she was turned around in midair…” to end of page.

· Page 103: “Eyes. There were eyes in the tangled darkness between the trees, yellow spots of light a foot or so off the ground. They shifted and blinked and seemed to be creeping closer. …” to end of page.

Discussion questions:

· When Mella is being held up by the angry dragon she is able to speak to him and show that she is not afraid. How does she know that dragons can smell fear? Have you ever been in a situation where you had to be brave even though you were afraid?

· Mella and Roger feel honor bound to bring the dragon’s egg to the Hatching Grounds. How important is it to keep your promise to someone no matter what? Is it ever alright not to keep a promise?

· Do you think the bargain made at the Hatching Grounds between the dragons and Roger and Mella was fair?

http://home.earthlink.net/~slthomson/index.shtml

Linda Urban

A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT

Harcourt, 2007. ISBN 978-0-1520-6007-7. $16.00. 211 pages.

Zoe’s mom is hard working and very particular, so it’s not surprising that when Zoe wants to watch TV one night, Mom says, “either you can watch PBS with me or you can go to bed.” Mom wasn’t banking on Zoe taking the example of Vladimir Horowitz to heart. Zoe decides to follow in her mentor’s footsteps, but she knows she’s got to get good fast. That’s when her well-meaning and wacky dad comes home with the Perfectone D-60.

The Perfectone is an organ, better, at least, than the More with Les paper keyboard he brought home first. Though Zoe is not excited, she is determined. In short chapters, some only a few words, Zoe tells her tale with a pitch-perfect ten-year-old voice. Under the circumstances, most kids would simply give up, especially if their best friend had just dumped them, an odd kid from school started hanging out with dad, and their not-a-baby-grand came with six months of free lessons from Mabelline Person. Mabelline introduces “The Scooby-Doo theme,” “The Brady Bunch song,” and the Perform-O-Rama. A crooked kind of Carnegie takes over Zoe’s life.

Everybody thinks their own parents are weird, and big dreams always seem accompanied by equally big disappointments. But Linda Urban has seasoned this familiar territory with wonderful dashes of outlandishness. Her Zoe sparkles with unexpected verve, humor and resilience.

Read-aloud hook: “If At First You Don’t Succeed…. And That’s When I Decide I’m going to quit.” (pp. 81-83).

Discussion questions:

· Do you think Mabelline Person is supportive or dismissive about Zoe’s performance dreams? Why?

· Zoe’s parents are pretty unusual, but familiar at the same time. What details about either of them remind you of people you know?

· What are some of the unexpected problems that crop up for Zoe at the Perform-O-Rama, and how does she cope with them?

· Do you think A Crooked Kind of Perfect uses exaggeration? Which situations seem larger than life? Which situations seem familiar?

http://www.lindaurbanbooks.com/books.html

Sara Varon

ROBOT DREAMS

First Second, 2007. ISBN 978-1-5964-3108-9. $16.95. 208 pages.

This book is a breakthrough for the DCF committee: the first nominee that is wordless! Through cartoon art Varon tells a meaningful, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant story about what it means to be a friend.

Dog yearns for a friend, so he buys a robot kit and builds a robot. They have good times together, going to the library, watching movies, and then a trip to a beach. However, dog hasn’t taken into consideration the fact that robots are made of metal and metal and water just don’t mix. After frolicking in the water and then lying on the beach in the sun, robot finds that he is unable to move at the end of the day. Dog leaves him, returning the next month only to find the beach closed for the season. The story alternates between the two characters, showing what is actually happening to robot on the beach, as well as what he dreams/hopes will happen (shown in boxes outlined in wavy lines) and what dog is doing. Dog makes one friend after the next, but none of them lasts: duck migrates; anteater makes him sick when he shares a meal, and snowman melts. Meanwhile, robot has provided a piece of his leg to stop up a hole on a boat; has been the site of a birds’ nest and then is carried away by a scrap metal collector. The ever patient, ever hopeful robot finally sees his luck turn around, as does dog who gets a second robot kit, and this time is much more careful with his new friend.

Read-aloud hook: Since this is wordless, you obviously cannot read any part aloud, but you could show the pictures from the first chapter, showing the formation of the friendship between dog and robot, and then the fateful trip to the beach.

Discussion questions:

· Would this story have been more or less effective if it had had words as well as pictures?

· What would you have done if you had been dog and discovered that your friend robot couldn’t move off the beach because of rust?

· What did dog learn about friendship throughout the year?

· At the end when robot sees his old friend dog walking with another robot, he is at first upset and sad, and then he sends out some beautiful music for the two of them. Is this what you would have done if you had been in his position?

· What is your description of a true friend?

http://www.chickenopolis.com/

Rosemary Wells

RED MOON AT SHARPSBURG

Viking, 2007. ISBN 978-0-6700-3638-7. $16.99. 236 pages.

Imagine living in a town where a war is happening on the main street. This is a reality for narrator India Moody, whose life is deeply affected by growing up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia during the Civil War. India’s father leaves in 1861 to become a Confederate soldier, and when he grows sick with camp fever, a common wasting disease of soldiers, India believes the cause to be contaminated water. She has been studying with Emory Trimble, her tutor, helping to conduct experiments with mold spores, seeking to establish a link between bacteria and disease. India becomes so passionate about studying chemistry that she dreams of attending Oberlin College, if only she had the money. But war clouds people’s judgment, limits their possibilities, and alters reality. India resorts to picking the pockets of the fallen after witnessing the bloody battle at Sharpsburg. Her mother becomes daft after India’s father dies. Orchards are burned, stone walls are blown apart, and houses are turned into field hospitals, in one of which India helps to nurse wounded soldiers in uniforms both blue and gray. The war has also separated India from Emory, the man she has grown to love and hopes to find alive. A very human narrator, India memorably portrays the horrors and heartbreak of America’s Civil War.

Read-aloud hook: India’s father is home from the war for the holidays, but will soon be returning to his service as a Confederate soldier. He carries a letter from Julia, a friend of India’s who has moved away. Read from the beginning of the chapter on p. 55 to the bottom of p. 57.

Discussion questions:

· In the first chapter three promises are made and later, one is broken. How is this broken promise important?

· What do you learn about the Civil War in this historical novel? Which side, North or South, draws your sympathy? Why?

· Is India, who likes chemistry and dreams of attending Oberlin College, ahead of her time? Explain.

· What is the most dramatic moment in the book?

Ruth White

WAY DOWN DEEP

FSG, 2007. ISBN 978-0-3743-8251-4. $16.00. 197 pages.

Young Ruby was left as a toddler on the steps of the courthouse in the town of Way Down Deep, West Virginia. Over the years she has been raised by the people there, all the while living at the boardinghouse with Miss Arbutus. This red-headed girl has certainly become a fixture around town. Her days consist of pleasant routines: school or doing errands with her red wagon, and her nights are spent performing the rituals of tub soaking and teeth brushing. It is during these evenings that Ruby expresses her day-to-day joys and concerns with Miss Arbutus.

Ruby certainly has some questions about her origins, but has been quite happy with the family that has sprung up around her. Friends like Miss Worly the librarian, Reese Mullins whose parents run the Boxcar Grill, and Jethro, the goat who lives in the backyard, are all very important to Ruby. And now a new family named Reeder has moved to town.

In her excitement Ruby befriends the new children, introducing them to their neighbors and ways of their new home. The Reeders, however, bring with them tragic news. They knew Ruby’s true parents, and tell her that they have sadly died. Ruby’s grandmother is still alive and requests that her granddaughter come back to Yonder Mountain to live. From there Ruby’s world is turned upside down. After discovering what life was like for her mother as a young girl Ruby asks herself the question: Is it better to be with your blood family or the family that loves you though you are not related by anything other than circumstance?

This conflict is at the heart of Way Down Deep and gives us all a chance to reexamine the scenarios of our own lives. Reading Ruth White’s sweet, old-fashioned tale can help us to discover who we are and just where we belong.

Read-aloud hook: Chapter 2, page 13.

“In the early morning hours of the first day of summer, 1944….” “…And so it was.”

Discussion questions:

· Ruby discovers letters/diary entries from her mom when she was around her own age. Have you ever wondered what your parents or a relative were like when they were young? Talk with an adult and have them tell you a story from their childhood. Or pick an adult who’s close to you and make up an adventure they might have had when they were young.

· How do you feel about the character of the grandmother when she is first introduced? By the end of the story?

· Do you have any nighttime rituals like Ruby and Miss Arbutus?

· If you lived in Way Down Deep who would you be; what would you do for a living?

http://www.ruthwhite.net/index.html

http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=2199 – Author interview

Generic Questions that can be used for any book:

· Can you make any connections between this book and events in your own life? (text to self) What about connections between this book and other books you’ve read? (text to text) Can you make any connections between this book and experiences that people you know, or know about, have had? (text to world)

· What research do you think the author of this book had to do in order to write this story? (inferring)

· If this book were turned into a play and you could play any character in the story (without regard to gender) which character would you pick and why?

· Illustrate a scene from this book. (visualization)

· Having read the book, what connections can you make between the book jacket, the title and the story itself. (inferring)

· Design a new book jacket.

· While reading this book, did you make any predictions? What were they? Were they accurate? (inferring)

· For non-fiction: See your teacher/librarian, take a brief look at this book together and talk about how it is organized. (determining importance)

· What did you wonder about as you read this book? (questioning)

About This Guide

This guide was compiled by current members of the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Committee and one past member. Our intent was to provide a booklet that would support the use of the DCF program in schools and libraries.

For the guide to be most effective, we strongly suggest that the adult(s) supervising the program read all the books on the 2008-2009 list. Many public libraries will have the new list in and ready to go, often in a designated section, by the summer. These excellent books make a pleasant summer diversion for adults who may be overwhelmed during the school year. No synopsis can possibly take the place of reading a book. However, we recognize that reading and remembering the details of 30 books can be a challenge. It's hoped that the reviews will jog your memory!

Since many DCF readers choose and read books on their own, the intent of the questions is to promote discussion among readers of DCF books. This dialogue can take place between student/adult, student/student or in small groups of readers. Most, but not all, of the questions were written to promote critical thinking and to seek opinions…not “right” answers. None of the questions was designed for purposes of assessment.

In some schools the questions are put on strips of paper, laminated and used as bookmarks. Each question/bookmark is placed in the appropriate DCF book. Students are encouraged to read the questions before reading the book and consider their individual responses as the book is read.

The generic questions at the end of the booklet can be used in discussions in which readers have read different books. They are taken from Susan Zimmerman's book, 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help your Kids Read it and Get it! (Three Rivers Press, 2003. ISBN – 0-7615-1549-6)

Author websites, if available, are found at the end of the reviews. Some reviews include additional relevant websites. If there is no web address, check the website of the publisher of the book. Their author biographies are usually easy to access and often quite informative.

Compilers:

· Steve Madden, Chair, DCF Committee

· Liz Bourne

· Kate Davie

· Kathy Dulac

· Dawn Fairbanks

· Grace Greene, DOL liaison to DCF Committee

· Susan Hunter

· Sally Margolis

· Beth Reynolds

This publication is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, through the Library Services and Technology Act.

The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

BOOK REVIEWS

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS