SLIS 5420 The Greatest Skating Race

Week Six: Historical Fiction - The Greatest Skating Race

Book Summary: 

         Piet is a young boy living in the Netherlands in 1941 during World War II.  His family is in the business of making ice skates, and his mind is consumed with Pim Mulier’s famous time of 12 hours and 55 minutes to complete the Elfstedentocht, a 200 kilometer skating race across frozen lakes, canals, and rivers. 

         When German soldiers take the father of a friend, the only way to safely move Johanna and her younger brother out of the Netherlands is by skating the ice into Belgium where their aunt lived.  It was Piet’s own race of a lifetime.  This beautifully illustrated book shows the story of the children who lived through World War II in a different way from most books on the subject.  The warm tones of the children skating across the frozen ice are dramatic and you know they are in a race for their lives.

APA Reference:   

Borden, L. (2004). The greatest skating race: A World War II story from the Netherlands. New York, NY: Margaret K. 
          McElderry Books.

My Impressions: 

         I read several books that took place during World War II or, more specifically, the Holocaust, but the story of Piet racing his friends to safety on ice was one of the most inspiring.  I enjoyed learning about the real Elfstedentocht race, which only takes place in years when it is cold enough for all of the natural waterways to be solid ice.  According to the book, most recently, this occurred in 1997. (After searching for information online, the official page confirms this is still the most recent race. http://www.elfstedentocht.nl/)  Historical information included in the book is interesting and enlightening.  The images, created mostly with watercolor and colored pencil, have a smoky, smudged look that fits well with the time period of the story. 

Professional Review: 

         One winter day in 1941, in a German-occupied Dutch town called Sluis, ten-year-old Piet Janssen's ice-skating skills are put to a dangerous test. It's WWII, and Piet's schoolmate Johanna Winkelman's father has been arrested for espionage. Since his friend and her brother are no longer safe at home, Piet must help them escape to their aunt's house in Brugge, skating over icy canals and outsmarting German soldiers until the three cross the Belgian border. The story of this perilous, bitterly cold flight--a race against time--is told in Piet's earnest first-person voice and formatted like poetry, with frequent, often inexplicable line breaks. Themes of bravery, strength, and tradition echo throughout--like the "Swisssshh, swissshhh" of the children's skates. Daly's lovely illustrations, complete with rosy-cheeked innocents and autumnal tones, effectively evoke a sense of time and place in this slow-moving (but nonetheless moving) tale of a child's wartime heroism. (information about the Elfstedentocht, author's note on the history of skating, map) (Picture book 8-11)

The greatest skating race: A World War II story from the Netherlands [Review of the book The Greatest Skating Race: A 
          World War II Story from the Netherlands. (2004, September 15). Kirkus Reviews, 72(18), 911.

Library Uses: 

         Because The Greatest Skating Race is a picture book, it could be used with a variety of ages.  It is fairly long to use for a story time, but would be ideal to use in conjunction with teaching middle elementary students how to use books for research.  Later the children could even look up more information on the Elfstedentocht online, so the librarian could connect the lesson to online research as well.

SLIS 5420 Go Ask Alice

Week Ten: Censorship Issues – Go Ask Alice


Book Summary: 

         Go Ask Alice is a cautionary tale of a 15-year-old girl’s decent into drugs in the early 70’s.  It was published as a real diary that had only been edited, but several years after publication, it was realized the book is fiction.  The protagonist of Go Ask Alice, who is not named Alice, nor named at all throughout the book, is given LSD unknowingly at a party beginning her decent into the drug culture of the late 60’s and 70’s.  At first, she loves the feeling of drugs, and then just as quickly, she realizes drugs are not for her.  This pattern repeats itself over and over, along with her running away twice, before she eats chocolate covered peanuts laced with acid, which lands her in a mental hospital.  Of course, in this rollercoaster ride of a book, that is not the end of our protagonist who has seemingly finally kicked drugs once and for all.  In an afterward that appears as if it were written as an afterthought, the author tells the reader the girl who kept the diary died three weeks later of, guess what, a drug overdose. 


APA Reference:  

Anonymous. (1971). Go ask Alice. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. 


My Impressions: 

         The book is written in diary entry style and is attributed to an anonymous author, but with the advent of easy online searches to verify authorship, it is simple to find that the “editor,” Beatrice Sparks, is most likely the sole dramatist of this invented story.  It is housed in the fiction stacks at my public library, as it should be, but I am sure it was sold as nonfiction for years before this move. 
         As I began this “diary” of a 15-year-old girl, I knew the writing was not true to an adolescent, but the story for the first half of the book is believable and fairly good.  Then, I can’t even pinpoint exactly when, sometime around the middle of the book the story becomes fanciful.  The over imaginative storyline didn’t bother me at first, but then when the diary entries reveal the “writer,” who never is named, has been drugged while babysitting, torn her hair out, scratched up her hands and face, and now sits in a mental hospital, I was left confused and annoyed at the situation and quickness of it all so close to the end of the book.  There is little in the way of a resolution to the story other than her basically saying she is all better now and does not need a diary anymore followed by a short epilogue. 
         Since the book is written in a diary format, it goes chronologically fairly slowly.  Entries are made daily at some points, and sometimes skip several days, but overall there is a consistency to the story and pacing until the last 20 or so pages.  At this point, it is as if the author got tired of writing and wanted to kill the protagonist off as quickly as possible.  So she gets miraculously better, is on her way to becoming the most amazing teen in the history of “fixed” teenagers, then decides diaries are for young people who can’t talk to other adults as she can, so she is through with keeping a diary and the story stops.  This is abrupt to an extreme.  The short epilogue telling the reader that maybe she wasn’t so fixed and sugar candy sweet because she died three weeks later is worded like an afterthought to a poorly executed after school special that needs to make a point right now.  Drugs are bad kids.  If you do them, YOU WILL DIE!  There is no redemption.  There are no second chances.
         I do understand why Go Ask Alice is rather consistently on the challenged and banned books lists.  There is a lot of drug use.  There is quite a bit of sex under the influence of drugs, or at least the mention of sex under the influence of drugs.  There is abuse, again because of drugs.  And there is language some would consider offensive.  Some adolescents think this was real.  Others think it was written to scare them.  (I found this out when asking friends about the book.  The first read it in high school, the second in junior high.) 
         But when it boils down to it, this could have been an uplifting story of redemption after falling into depths of despair most middle class kids only reach in books.  Instead of leaving the diary entries as the whole story though, the author chose to shock the reader with the girl’s death. Personally, I do not like that most American stories are sugarcoated and feel the need to end on a positive note, but just this once, I think I would have enjoyed it.


Professional Review: 

A Second Look

Published in 1971 by Prentice-Hall, Go Ask Alice spread like wildfire among teen readers as soon as it appeared as an Avon paperback — "more than four million copies sold," touts the current Aladdin paper edition. Conjuring all the pulsating power of the Jefferson Airplane rock song from which it borrowed its name, Go Ask Alice gave an insider's look at the simultaneously glamorous and frightening world of drugs. As a curious pre-teen, I lapped up the "real diary" of this anonymous fifteen-year-old, eager to learn of the thrill and lure of those forbidden substances from the smugly satisfying position of not sharing Alice's fate (and of suddenly "getting" what Grace Slick was singing about).

My motives were not as lofty as those of the critics who strongly recommended the book when it first appeared. Knowing that many parents (and teachers and librarians) would be uncomfortable with the subject matter — and the vulgar language — of the book, the Christian Science Monitor implored, "Precisely because of this reluctance to expose one's children to such material…the book must be read." From Library Journal: "This diary depicts all the confusion, loneliness and rebellion associated with adolescence ….Unlike other 'true-to-life' stories, this is true (it's based on an actual diary). An important book, this deserves as wide a readership as libraries can give it." And Publishers Weekly recommended the book as an "eloquent look at what it must be like to be in the vortex" of drug use. However, PW was, it seems, the only source at the time to question tine book's authenticity: "Maybe we're all too cynical on that subject these days, but it does seem awfully well written, and in any case brilliantly edited."

But most readers accepted the book for what it claims to be — a real diary by an anonymous teen. The question of authenticity was raised again only when Alleen Pace Nilsen interviewed Beatrice Sparks for School Library Journal in October 1979, after seeing Sparks listed on the cover of a new book as "the author who brought you Go Ask Alice." Nilsen's article, "The House That Alice Built," depicts Sparks in a less than flattering light as a purported youth counselor with sketchy qualifications. Nilsen relates Sparks's claim that she compiled the book from diaries given her by a young girl she befriended but added other incidents and ideas from similar cases. Nilsen concludes, "The question of how much of Go Ask Alice was written by the real Alice and how much by Beatrice Sparks can only be conjectured." (In a letter to SLJ Sparks later defended not only the book's credentials and her own but the decor of her house, which also came under attack in the article.)

Whatever the proportions of their contributions, Sparks and her Alice together created a phenomenal success. What accounts for it? Timing, for one thing. Published right at the height of the psychedelic era and the dawning awareness that experimenting with drugs might have a downside, Go Ask Alice provided the perfect combination of voyeuristic appeal and high-mindedness the book got credit for opening important lines of communication about the dangers of drug use. Though we don't know precisely to what extent Sparks shaped or added to the diary, she seems to know when to let Alice's own words and experiences speak for themselves — and thus speak directly to teen readers as she relates her feelings about friends, boyfriends, and fine thrill and "beauty" of her first encounters with drugs. Yet somehow, either by conscious design or happenstance, each of Alice's drug-influenced adventures ends unhappily, whereupon Alice gives discourse to the evils of drugs and renews her promises to "rectify [her] life." This is all quite feasible as a true picture of the up-and-down cycle of addiction, and perhaps Sparks is simply fortunate that Alice makes the case against drug use so eloquently for her. However, Sparks does admit in Nilsen's article to altering the ending of the book Alice did not die of an actual overdose as it says in the epilogue, "but in a way that could have been either an accident or a suicide…probably influenced by her being on drugs." Apparently the "probable influence" was not sufficient to assure the moral of the story as Sparks intended: Alice took drugs; Alice died from drugs.

Clearly, many readers were taken with the story of the sweet, confused girl lured into the sordid world that would eventually take her life, and critics and educators were delighted with the opportunity to show the dangers of drugs to kids in a way accessible to them — "See, don't take my word for it. Just Go Ask Alice." But much of the book's merit was derived from its status as a "real diary," so if it's not all Alice talking, does it deserve to be judged differently? As Nilsen pointed out, the book was "more or less exempt from the regular kind of literary criticism since it was supposedly the diary of a deceased young girl." If Sparks did in fact serve as an author who crafted and shaped her raw material, and we apply some literary standards accordingly, how will Alice stand up today?

Rereading the book in the context of current young adult literature, I was amazed by how unenthralling I found it. Poor Alice sounds ridiculously melodramatic and immature compared to today's more worldly teens. Upon learning of her family's impending move, she writes, "Dear precious Diary, I am baptizing you with my tears. I know we have to leave and that one day I will even have to leave my father and mother's home…. "Most fifteen-year-olds I know are slightly more excited about the prospect of eventually getting some space away from mom and dad. Yet we must believe in Alice's innocence if we are to believe that she has no idea what's happening to he when she is slipped some LSD at a party twenty pages later. Somewhat harder to swallow than the acid-laced Coke are the moral platitudes slipped in throughout the diary. Alice writes of her friends, "Sometimes I think we're all trying to be shadows of each other…. Kids are like robots, off an assembly line." Above all, we are to believe that Alice is not a bad girl, but a good girl who loves God and her family and who happens to get mixed up in some very bad things.

Alice's childish and often vacuous ramblings may be plausible as the actual diary entries of a searching, as-yet-undefined teenager, and granted, I related to them more readily at age twelve than I can as an adult reader. Totally implausible, however, are the diary entries of Sparks's latest book, Annie's Baby, featuring a voice that sounds remarkably similar to Alice's (with the exception of a few contemporary words such as rad tossed in and a plethora of capital letters and "soooooo"s to fill up the pages). The fourth in an apparent series of "anonymous true stories," following Almost Lost (about life on the streets) and It Happened to Nancy (about AIDS), Annie's Baby is about a fourteen-year-old who becomes pregnant by her abusive boyfriend. Even if we were to believe in this new incarnation of Alice (and while I assume that Sparks is attempting to simulate the "real" teenage voice of her greatest publishing success, the similarities do again raise the question of how much of the original Alice was Sparks's fabrication), the book's overt didacticism precludes any aesthetic claims. Here Sparks is not satisfied with the lessons given by Annie herself — "[Mom] and Dad fought from as long back as I can remember… That's probably what makes me so insecure" — or even by the way that this particular diary actually responds to Annie with its own advice, a la Jiminy Cricket: "I'm going to think only of what Danny wants us to do… and besides, 'everyone is doing it.' [New paragraph] 'Everyone is not doing it!'" In an amazing coincidence, Annie turns out to be distantly related to "Dr. B." (Sparks) and goes to visit for a therapeutic weekend. The tapes of their discussions, as well as a quiz on "What Is Love?" are handily transcribed in Annie's diary. The transcripts do nothing to enliven Annie's tedious tale of her abusive relationship, pregnancy, and young motherhood. The book is appended with further information about pregnancy, STDs, abuse, and "out-of-wedlock births."

None of Sparks's more recent message-laden books will even approach the phenomenal popularity of Go Ask Alice. Their blatant fictionalizing assures that they will not be accepted as the sensational, true document that Alice was, while their heavy-handed proselytizing prevents them from being remotely successful as works of literature. And again, the timing of Alice's release was exceptionally opportune, addressing breakthrough subject matter in young adult books at a time when we were ready to hear about it. With so many taboos having since been broken in young adult literature, is it possible for any book to have this kind of impact today?

…
But Alice's era is over. Go Ask Alice was a phenomenon of its time that cannot be repeated, by Sparks or anyone else. Education and discussion about drugs is part of every school child's experience, and there is probably no remaining subject under such a delightfully enticing taboo. The book's immense popularity spills over to today's readers in some part due to Alice's universal adolescent angst, and in large part due to the power of legend and legacy of the sixties' drug culture, of teens of every generation, and of Alice herself and her tragic tale.

Adams, L. (1998). Go ask Alice [Review of Go Ask Alice]. Horn Book Magazine, 74(5), 587-592. Retrieved from
          http://www.hbook.com/horn-book-magazine/

 
Library Uses: 

         Go Ask Alice is obviously a great book to talk about, show off, and discuss with patrons during Banned Books Week in the fall. 

It could also be used to kick start a lesson in the use of reliable sources.  The librarian could have students look over the book and read the introduction stating the book “is based on the actual diary of a fifteen-year-old drug user.”  The librarian could talk about the credibility of such a source.  Would you listen to someone your age who had been on drugs versus an adult?  What does it mean to you that the author is “Anonymous?”  After discussing reliability, the librarian will show them how to research online to find valid information starting with journal reviews of Go Ask Alice.  When the students find that the book is not truly the diary of a teenager, the librarian can discuss authorship of articles.  This would be a unique way to discuss the fact that anyone can post online, especially on sites like Wikipedia, and you might not know if it’s true or not.  After all, many online postings can be anonymous. 

SLIS 5420 Edward Tulane

Week Five: Fantasy – The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Book Summary: 

            Edward Tulane is a china rabbit owned by a little girl named Abilene, who adores him even though he does not care about anyone.  He is egotistical and unfeeling.  Abilene takes Edward on a cruise where he is thrown overboard by destructive boys, and his journey to realizing that life is all about love begins. 

            Edward lives in a variety of places with a variety of types of people, none of which have much money, which is quite unlike his original home.  They do all love him just as much though.  Each one needs him tremendously.  He lives with an older couple, a hobo, a sick girl and her brother, and then ends up in an expensive doll shop waiting and waiting for the love he has finally understood to find him again.  

APA Reference:  

DiCamillo, K. (2006). The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Cambridge, MA:  Candlewick Press.  

My Impressions: 

            I was really looking forward to this story.  A book about a toy rabbit with enchanting artwork seemed like it could become a favorite, but it just wasn’t quite there.  The illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline are breathtakingly beautiful.  I mostly enjoyed the story of Edward Tulane, but not because of Edward at all.  Quite the opposite of what I was expecting, I fell in love with the characters the china rabbit encounters throughout the years, but at several points in the story practically despised Edward himself.  Even when the protagonist of a story is not a “good guy,” I typically still see the character as the one who I cheer for.  Edward Tulane was different.  He was self-centered and unloving. 

            I gasped when his original owner, a little girl named Abiline, watched as horrible boys threw her rabbit overboard while on a cruise, even though it was for her alone and not for the rabbit at the bottom of the sea.  My heart jumped when the daughter of his new owner, Nellie, came and threw “Susanna,” the happiness of Nellie and Lawrence’s lives, in the dump.  At this point, Edward, although he was referred to as a girl, was happier than he had ever been and begins to understand love.  This is the point when the reader is supposed to begin to feel for Edward, and I did.  Edward becomes part of a wonderful life for Bull and Lucy, a hobo and his dog, and then is discarded by someone who doesn’t care, yet again. 

            It is somewhat sad that each time Edward realizes he can affect people’s lives, and he begins to feel, he is torn from his owner and discarded, sometimes in violent ways. The story was decent at points and heartbreaking in others, but no person affects Edward’s life, nor mine, as much as Sarah Ruth.  Bryce, her older brother, brings Edward, now named Jangles, to her after finding him hanging as a scarecrow.  Sarah Ruth is quite ill, and her part of Edward’s story is the most heartbreaking to read.  Of all of the people who come into Edward’s life, she is the most affecting.  She is the one who stayed with me long after I finished the book.  Although her story is a small part of Edward’s world, this little girl leaves an impression. 

            This story is rather realistic in parts, and left me really feeling for the characters.  As a work of fantasy, it is well written because of the point of view being from Edward’s perspective.  This story easily could have been written in a way that told only what was happening to Edward, but the real core of the story is supposed to be the transformation Edward takes from selfish and uncaring to loving and finding his way home again.  I did enjoy the circle ending, and I did feel Edward’s story was worth being told.  I just felt Sarah Ruth, Abilene, and all Edward’s “owners” stories around Edward were much more amazing.

            

Professional Review: 

Edward Tulane is a china rabbit with real rabbit-fur ears and tail, a sumptuous wardrobe, and a pampered life with Abilene Tulane, the little girl who loves him. Her devotion isn’t returned. Edward’s heart is as chilly as his china body until his fortune changes and he spends some time in the muck at the bottom of the ocean. He passes through several hands over the years, found first by an elderly fisherman and his wife. With them, he learns to listen and to remember the stories they whisper to him, and his heart for the first time begins to wake up. Edward’s journey continues—he spends time in a garbage dump, travels around with a hobo and his dog, and lives with several others, learning to love those who love him. DiCamillo writes tenderly and lyrically but with restraint, keeping a tight focus on Edward’s experience and gradual awakening. The book is physically beautiful as well, with cream-colored pages and a generous number of illustrations. Ibatoulline’s appropriately old-fashioned sepia-toned drawings and full-color plates, which possess the same poignant quality as DiCamillo’s prose, ground the fanciful story in a realistic setting. Although Edward (like the Velveteen Rabbit his story can’t help but bring to mind) is the worse for wear, a happy ending awaits him.

Lempke, S. (2006). The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane [Review of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by K. 
          DiCamillo]. Horn Book Magazine, 2(2), 184-185. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com

This achingly beautiful story shows a true master of writing at her very best. Edward Tulane is an exceedingly vain, cold-hearted china rabbit owned by 10-year-old Abilene Tulane, who dearly loves him. Her grandmother relates a fairy tale about a princess who never felt love; she then whispers to Edward that he disappoints her. His path to redemption begins when he falls overboard during the family's ocean journey. Sinking to the bottom of the sea where he will spend 297 days, Edward feels his first emotion-fear. Caught in a fisherman's net, he lives with the old man and his wife and begins to care about his humans. Then their adult daughter takes him to the dump, where a dog and a hobo find him. They ride the rails together until Edward is cruelly separated from them. His heart is truly broken when next owner, four-year-old Sarah Ruth, dies. He recalls Abilene's grandmother with a new sense of humility, wishing she knew that he has learned to love. When his head is shattered by an angry man, Edward wants to join Sarah Ruth but those he has loved convince him to live. Repaired by a doll store owner, he closes his heart to love, as it is too painful, until a wise doll tells him that he that he must open his heart for someone to love him. This superb book is beautifully written in spare yet stirring language. The tender look at the changes from arrogance to grateful loving is perfectly delineated. Ibatoulline's lovely sepia-toned gouache illustrations and beautifully rendered color plates are exquisite. An ever-so-marvelous tale.

Gray, B. (2006). The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane [Review of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by K. 
          DiCamillo]. School Library Journal, 52(2), 95.Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Library Uses: 

            This book would be a great addition to a book talk of fantasy books or books where the main character is an animal or toy.  I used it in my book talk where the theme tying the different books together was loss. 

SLIS 5420 Annexed

Week Six: Historical Fiction – Annexed

Book Summary: 

            Annexed is a fictional account of what happened in the annex where Anne Frank, her family, the van Pels family, and Mr. Pfeffer hid during WWII.  The majority of the people who are characters in the story were real, but Dogar does create Liese, Peter’s girlfriend prior to the annex, as a symbol of the many Jews who were taken and never seen again during the Holocaust.  The story begins as Peter is deciding to go to the annex to hide with his family after witnessing Liese being taken.  Here he feels the last sense of freedom outside he will have in his short life.  Peter’s account of the annex is intermingled with his dying thoughts from a deathbed in Mauthausen where he is presumed to have passed away right before liberation at eighteen years old.  Although most people are familiar with Anne Frank’s diary, and thus her point of view of the annex, this book gives insight to how Peter van Pels may have felt during this difficult time.  Several factual accounts of events written about in Anne’s diary are addressed in Annexed, but since we cannot know Peter’s thoughts, Dogar does her best to recreate them.

APA Reference:  

Dogar, S. (2010). Annexed. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.

My Impressions: 

            I was excited to read a book about the annex from Peter’s perspective because I thought it would be a great suggestion for the guys in my 8^th grade classes around the time we read the play of The Diary of Anne Frank.  Unfortunately, it did not live up to the expectations I had.  The story itself was okay, and I would probably still suggest the book to strong readers if they seemed interested.  I felt the writing was overly wordy and there were several points in the story where I felt I was reading the same thing again and again, especially during the scenes where Peter is thinking to himself as he is dying.  Although these scenes of the book should be touching and full of emotion, they felt forced. 

            This was anything but a quick read, which is understandable given the subject matter, but it was a book I finished just to see how the author dealt with the time after the annex.  Peter’s time in concentration camps was emotional, as was expected.  I did like the way the author showed his guilt of surviving longer than his father, then later of leaving Mr. Frank behind in Auschwitz.  Peter thought this would mean death for Mr. Frank, but as we know Peter was the one of the two who did not survive.  As Peter talks of leaving Mr. Frank behind to his death, I wanted to yell at him to stay as well.  Maybe then he would have a chance that he missed in real life.

            Although the entire book is fictional, Anne’s diary gives an insight into how Peter may have felt in the annex.  Since there is no recorded history of his life in the concentration camps, his feelings and actions were created by the author based on what little is known.  I do feel that the guilt he felt could have been real.  It would seem normal for a child to feel this way while trying to survive as best he can.  Taken as a whole, Annexed is a decent read, but only for strong readers due to the wordy language used.  I wish it were a simpler read in order to reach a larger audience of adolescents who would benefit from learning more about the victims of the Holocaust. 

Professional Review: 

A bold move. Dogar writes with respect, but to tell the story of Anne Frank and her companions in the Annex from Peter Van Pels's perspective invites controversy, which may overshadow the story itself. Peter's dying thoughts (completely imagined, as there is little documentation of his life after the Annex was raided) are interspersed with events readers will likely recognize from Anne's diary, but in Peter's eyes Anne annoys as well as enchants. Less hopeful than Anne, Peter mostly thinks about his burgeoning sexuality and his loss of faith. The author's writing is assured and at times poetic, and it truly soars in the wrenching and powerful (and fully fictional) camp scenes; knowing the characters and outcome from the outset robs the Annex portion of the story of some depth and nuance. As a companion to Anne's diary, this fascinating read raises great questions about truth, narrative and perspective, but it may strike some as exploitative, needless or otherwise questionable. Ultimately powerful, but much of this feels like an exercise despite the love and artistry apparent in the writing. (preface, epilogue, author's note, further reading) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

Annexed. (2010). [Review of the book Annexed by S. Dogar] Kirkus Reviews, 78(18), 924. Retrieved from 
          http://www.kirkusreviews.com/


Library Uses:

            Annexed could be used in a Holocaust or WWII display.  It would be a good addition to a WWII display because it might catch the attention of guys who generally read nonfiction books about wars and military.  Historical fiction could be a good suggestion for adolescents who do not tend to read fiction as much.

SLIS 5420 American Born Chinese

Week Three: Printz Award Winner – American Born Chinese

Book Summary: 

            American Born Chinese tells the tales of three very different characters whose stories intertwine by the end of the book.  It starts with the story of the Monkey King, a traditional Asian character who became imprisoned under rocks for hundreds of years after becoming too arrogant.  He is shown his faults by a young monk on a journey, and realizes he must change.

            Next is Jin Wang, a boy who aspires to become a Transformer when he grows up.  As one of only two Asian students in his grade, he is constantly teased at school.  This becomes a larger problem when Wei-Chen Sun, a new boy from Taiwan, decides they should be friends.  As they get older, Jin and Wei-Chen continue to stay friends until Jin crosses a boundary that ruins their friendship and completely changes his life.

            Blonde haired, blue-eyed Danny is seemingly misplaced within American Born Chinese, but his sitcom life is anything but perfect due to yearly visits from his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee.  Chin-Kee, a walking stereotype of generic Asian people, wrecks havoc on Danny’s life, but the end of the story reveals reasons for his actions.  By the end, Danny, Jin Wang, and the Monkey King come to realizations that they must stay true to themselves versus changing to be like others.

APA Reference:  

Yang, G. L. (2006). American born Chinese. New York, NY: First Second. 

My Impressions:  

            American Born Chinese was a great choice for the Printz Award in 2007.  It speaks to a teenage demographic of anyone who doesn’t fit in, especially those of Asian decent (or any other nationality for that matter).  I really enjoyed this book, especially how the three stories intertwine so seamlessly at the end.  I did feel that the book ended fairly abruptly once the stories merged with each other though, and one more chapter as a wrap up would have been nice. 

            The graphics are clean and crisp, making it very palatable for both fans of graphic novels and those who are new to the genre.  Sometimes graphic novels can take me longer to read than traditional narrative books, but the simple illustrations of American Born Chinese made for a quick and impactful read. 

Professional Reviews: 

            A National Book Award finalist and ALA's Printz Award winner, this fable stars the mythological Monkey King, realistic youngster Jin Wang of Taiwanese parentage, and TV sitcom teen Danny. All three are dogged by an unwanted identity and humiliated by others' prejudice. The Monkey King trains to be a god but is unceremoniously bounced out of heaven and urged by "he who is" (the great god) to be what he is: a monkey. Jin tries to be accepted and romance a fellow student but gets picked on by classmates. Danny does well with friends until Chinese cousin Chin-Kee, a bitingly funny bundle of racist stereotypes, makes his annual visit and behaves so offensively that Danny must change schools. Finally, the three stories suddenly merge, to center on Jin coming to terms with his minority experience and moving beyond his own fear and hostility. Coalescence comes almost too quickly, but the trivision approach and treatment are unique and moving. The art is simple, colorful, and both attractive and effective. Some potty humor; recommended for teen and adult collections.

Cornog, M. (2007). American born Chinese. [Review of the book American Born Chinese by G. L. Yang] Library Journal,  
          132(5), 54. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/

            It's tough to talk about today's most serious issues (such as racial prejudice, self-acceptance, and spirituality) without appearing sanctimonious or sappy. But graphic artist Gene Yang deftly sidesteps that quicksand in this zippy, heartfelt tale of what it means to grow up Asian American.

American born Chinese. (2006). [Review of the book American Born Chinese by G. L. Yang] School Library Journal,  
          5266.Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

           

Library Uses: 

            This book could be used in many ways within a library setting.  American Born Chinese could be used in displays ranging from Printz Award winners to graphic novels or diversity.  It also could be used to teach students to tell their own story in a graphic manner.  Online comic aids could be used as well as allowing students to hand draw their story.  

SLIS 5420 Ivy + Bean

Week Four Realistic Fiction: Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows + Sophie Blackall

Book Summary: 

            Ivy and Bean, short for Bernice, are constantly told by their mothers that they should play.  They live across the street from each other.  They are the same age.  They are completely different.  Bean is an outgoing, loud tomboy, while Ivy wears dresses, reads and seems shy.  When a trick on Bean’s sister backfires and she realizes she is going to be in trouble, Ivy steps in to rescue Bean with her magical powers.  The powers may not be real,  but their friendship grows rapidly as they hide from parents, cross neighborhood backyards, dig worms, and eventually do get in trouble before going home with a “see you tomorrow” from both of them.  

APA Reference:  

Barrows, A. (2006). Ivy + Bean Book 1. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. 

My Impressions: 

            Ivy + Bean is a cute, simple story setting up a series of books about these two best friends.  It has basic language, and I felt some slightly higher-level vocabulary could have been added, even for the age group.  There is a typical opposites attract premise that may not be as familiar to the younger audience these books are written for, and thus more interesting to them.  Within the story, there are many humorous moments to keep readers engaged and wanting to read more of the series.  For example, the two girls throw worms on Bean’s older sister, Nancy, instead of casting the dancing spell on her as they had intended.  Overall this was a sweet start to a children’s series, and I can see why it would appeal to an early chapter book crowd.        

     

Professional Review: 

“Bean was sure that the new neighbor would not be any fun. She was sure the girl on the  steps next door must be a good girl and not at all like herself. Bean finds out differently when a trick on her older sister Nancy causes her to need some fast help.  Ivy shows her a thing or two about fun. For example, Ivy dresses up and creates a dancing spell for Nancy. This easy chapter book does not have a sophisticated storyline, but it would hold the interest of strong seven-year-old readers and some eight and nine year olds. It has several b&w drawings that enhance the author’s word pictures.”

Welch Mills, R. (2007, February). Ivy and Bean [Review of Ivy + Bean, by A. Barrows] Library Media Connection, 25(5), 72. 
          Retrieved from http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/

 

            “Seven-year-old Bean likes stomping in puddles, climbing fences into neighbors' backyards, and playing tricks on her older sister, Nancy. She wears dresses as seldom as possible and avoids big books. Her new neighbor appears to be a quiet, orderly girl who sits on her front step day after day reading tomes. The two seem to have nothing in common, and Bean is not interested in getting to know Ivy, despite her mother's prodding to make friends with the nice girl next door. Then Bean gets into trouble, and Ivy helps her out. She discovers that Ivy is practicing to be a witch, and when they decide to cast a spell on Nancy, their friendship is sealed. With echoes of Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" series, this easy chapter book will appeal to children who are graduating from beginning readers. The occasional black-and-white illustrations highlight the text and provide visual clues. The characters are appealing, the friendship is well portrayed, and the pranks and adventures are very much on grade level.”

Stone, E. (2006, July). Ivy and Bean. [Review of Ivy + Bean, by A. Barrows] School Library Journal, 52(7), 68. Retrieved from
          http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

            “A charismatic duo makes their debut in this new chapter-book series. Barrows provides a fresh take on the standard odd-couple tale of friendship, with a caveat to readers of not judging a book by its cover--or the new girl by her seemingly goody image. Bean, an energetic girl with an inclination for mischief, just doesn't see the appeal of her new neighbor Ivy, whom her mother extols as such a "nice girl," which Bean readily translates to mean dull. However, when she needs to escape the wrath of her bossy sister Nancy, Bean discovers a whole new dimension to the quiet girl next door. Together Ivy and Bean concoct a plan to cast Ivy's fledgling dancing spell on Nancy, with unexpected and hilarious results. With a hearty helping of younger sibling angst, a sprinkling of spells and potions and a dash of nosy neighbors, Barrows has the perfect recipe for solidifying a newfound friendship. Blackall's saucy illustrations detailing the girls' hijinks and their calamitous outcomes are liberally featured throughout the text. Readers are bound to embrace this spunky twosome and eagerly anticipate their continuing tales of mischief and mayhem.”

Ivy and Bean. [Review of Ivy + Bean, by A. Barrows]  (2006, May 1). Kirkus Reviews,74(9), 454. Retrieved from
          http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

  

Library Uses: 

Ivy + Bean could be used in a library setting as part of a book talk on books about friendships.  It seems there would be many elementary books on this topic, and the librarian could use books across a few reading levels to show students that the same topics are in books they may have read before, or want to read the next year.  Using a few levels of books would also benefit students above or below grade level while still listening to the same book talk.