The Wednesday Wars

1.  Bibliography

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. Read by Joel Johnstone. Scholastic, Incorporated. ISBN 9780439925013.

2.  Plot Summary

Holling Hoodhood finds his seventh grade year at Camillo Junior High starting differently than he expected.  All of Holling’s classmates are Catholic or Jewish and they attend religious training on Wednesdays thus leaving him alone with his teacher, Mrs. Baker.  Holling is convinced that Mrs. Baker hates his guts because of what she has him do on their Wednesdays together.  Also, some of his tasks do not go as planned.  Holling feels especially hated after Mrs. Baker assigns him to start reading Shakespeare.  After starting to read Shakespeare, Holling figures out that it is not so bad.  He also starts to see that Mrs. Baker may not hate him so much after all.  Holling handles his stress at school, being a seventh grade boy (including bullies and threats of number 167), and his father’s pressure to inherit their business all during the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement in 1967.  

3.  Critical Analysis

Holling Hoodhood is a typical Presbyterian seventh grader in the 1960s in Long Island.  Pre-teens reading this book can relate to Holling and his crush on a classmate, his love for famous local baseball players, his fear of being hated by his teacher and can learn something from his enjoyment of Shakespeare.  Each of the characters are presented as realistically living in the 1960s and the setting is historically accurate.  Holling and his classmates experience multiple situations that seem to be in the backdrop of the story that set the stage for powerful Civil Rights Movements and the Vietnam War.  
       The theme of The Wednesday Wars is based upon the mis-interpretations we have of people and their reactions to us.  Holling spent many days thinking that his teacher, Mrs. Baker hated his guts when truly she was supporting him and proved to be a great friend.  Mrs. Baker advises Holling on his education, on his crush, his acting career, and even his running.  She has surprises around every corner.  Holling also sees these mis-interpretations in a baseball player, his father and his sister.  

Joel Johnstone does an amazing job at narrating this story.  He creates different tones and brings life to each character.  Without description of who it is, the listener knows who Johnstone is acting as.  His narration of Holling is distinct and perfectly represents a seventh grader who is maturing and experiencing life.  This story is humorous and will catch the interests of even the least likely reader.  

4.  Award & Review Excerpts

Nominated for Newbery Medal

Nominated for California Young Reader Medal

Nominated for Volunteer State Book Award

Nominated for Beehive Young Adults’ Book Award

Won American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award

Won Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books

“Seamlessly, he knits together the story's  themes: the cultural uproar of the '60s, the internal uproar of early adolescence, and the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare's words. Holling's unwavering, distinctive voice offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, as he leaps into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open.” -- Booklist Starred Review

“Johnstone's first-person narration perfectly captures Holling's progression from an angst-filled yet innocent boy, to a wiser, self-aware young man. His reading is touching, funny and insightful; he manages to bring the listener back to a time-real or nostalgically re-imagined, at least-when the crack of a bat against a ball in Yankee Stadium or sharing a Coke with a girl at the Woolworth's counter was all any boy could want. This is a lovely, heartfelt novel, read with as much care as the author used to create it.” -- Publishers Weekly

5.  Connections

• Ask children to listen to other audiobooks - shorter and longer than this one.  Present the following discussion questions:

• Did you enjoy listening to a story?
• What did you like or dislike about listening to a story rather than reading it?
• Would you rather listen to someone in person read a story or through an audiobook? What about reading aloud yourself?

• Invite children to write a letter to someone they think may “hate their guts”.  Ask them to consider how they may be mis-interpreting their relationship with this person.  Is it possible the enemy is a friend?

• Present students with a few of Shakespeare’s curses and ask them to create some of their own.  

One Crazy Summer

1.  Bibliography
Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York, NY: Amistad.  ISBN 9780060760892.

2.  Plot Summary
In 1968, Delphine (11-years-old) and her two younger sisters are sent by their father and grandmother to spend the summer with their estranged mother, Cecile, in Oakland, California.  After traveling from Brooklyn, their mother does not provide a warm welcome to the girls that one may expect.  Cecile is constantly reminding them that she does not want them there.  Each day she gives them money for picking up Chinese food for dinner and they are sent to spend the day at the local Black Panther community center.  The three girls spend the summer learning about the black panthers and their desire to protect black citizens rights.  Delphine also begins to grasp personal and societal problems and inequity.  After a summer with her, Delphine and her sisters begin to understand their mother.  

3.  Critical Analysis
Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are three young girls faced with a maturing experience.  Delphine is a strong, independent girl who feels confident in herself and her responsibility for her little sisters.  They are put in an unfamiliar city with no allies during a political movement in the late 1960s.  Not only are they faced with a cold, uninterested mother but they are forced to handle a group of people (The Black Panthers) that can be intimidating, especially for young girls.  One Crazy Summer gives Delphine’s intuitive personal view of Oakland, California in 1968 including the purpose of the Black Panthers.  

Wililams-Garcia uses appropriate language, behavior and attitudes in all the characters to represent the 1960s and Brooklyn families.  History about the Black Panthers and political turmoil in California is presented clearly and appropriately for the recommended age group.  There is no presentation of research in which the author got her historical information from although most information in this novel is fictional.  The majority of the factual information is basic history.  The Black Panther group at the community center likely represents a fictional group and is a collaboration of stories and histories of different groups.  That being said, it would be beneficial to see some cited sources and recommended readings.  

4.  Award & Review Excerpts

Nominated for Young Hoosier Book Award

 Nominated for Maryland Children’s Book Award

Nominated for Great Lakes’ Great Books Award

Nominated for Rhode Island Children’s Book Award

Won Newberry Honor

“Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion. Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent's love”. -- Booklist Starred Review

“Delphine, almost 12, along with her sisters Vonetta and Fern, fly across the country to visit their mother, Cecile, who long ago abandoned the family to pursue her poetry. The girls ache for hugs and kisses but desperately try not to hope too much. Good thing. When they arrive at her green stucco house in poor, mostly-black Oakland, California, their mother constantly mutters ‘didn't want you to come.’”. -- School Library Journal

5.  Connections

• Introduce children to another book about the Black Panthers:
• Van Peebles, Mario. Panther: a pictorial history of the Black Panthers and the story behind the film. 1995. HarperCollins. ISBN 9781557042279

• Ask children to make a list of things that are important to them.  Present the following list of questions:

1. Why is this important to you?
2. Would you do things like the Black Panthers did to stand up for this?
3. How do you feel about Delphine and her poem?

The Earth Dragon Awakes

1.  Bibliography

Yep, Laurence. 2006. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.  ISBN 9780060275259.

2.  Plot Summary

A tale of hometown heroes and courage, this story revolving around the 1906 San Francisco earthquake is moving – and not just under your feet.  Starting April 17, 1906, the reader follows good friends Henry (8 years old) and Chin (9 years old) through their families’ fight to survival during and after the earthquake.  Henry is from a wealthy neighborhood in which all of the survivors are scrambling to protect their families and their belongings.  Neighbors are gathering as many of their possessions as they can out of their homes and carrying them through the streets on anything with wheels.  Henry’s mother even manages to take some of her umbrella collection out of the house.  Chin’s home is in Chinatown where many Chinese immigrants are simply looking to escape the dangers of the fire.  Each short chapter alternates between Henry and Chin’s stories with occasional interjections about the earthquake itself.  The story ends on April 29, 1906 with the hills of rubble left behind that San Francisco is already starting to attempt to rebuild.    

3.  Critical Analysis

The theme of ordinary men being shown as heroes is highlighted throughout the book.  At the beginning of the story, Henry and Chin express their love of “penny dreadfuls”, stories about Wyatt Earp who lives a life of excitement and adventure.  Through different scenes and trauma of the earthquake, each boy compares his father to Earp and the stories they have read.  The boys realize that their fathers are just as exciting and courageous.  In the final chapter, Henry whispers to Chin “’We don’t have to look far for heroes.  They were right under our noses all this time’” (105). 

This story accurately captures the affects that the 1906 San Francisco earthquake had on the earth, the families and the city.  Yep lends much attention to details about the earthquake itself including aftershocks and fires that broke out afterward.  His research and reliability are impeccable.  There is a detailed afterword about the earthquake, selected readings (including Yep’s interpretation of the most accurate book), other books to read and a list of websites you can find more information on.  The final pages include 6 photos of the chaos in the city.  Yep ties these into the story by including captions that relate the photos to the story. 

4.  Award & Review Excerpts

    Nominated for Sunshine State Young Reader’s Book Award

    Nominated for Texas Bluebonnet Award

   

“Devotees of penny dreadfuls, both boys long for excitement, not their fathers' ordinary routine lives. When the earthquake shakes the city and a firestorm breaks out, Henry and his parents scramble in the chaos and battle the fire, but must ultimately evacuate their home. Ching and his father survive the collapse of their Chinatown tenement, and flee to the ferry through the debris and turmoil”. -- Booklist

“Yep's research is exhaustive. He covers all the most significant repercussions of the event, its aftershocks, and days of devastating fires, and peppers the story with interesting true-to-life anecdotes. The format is a little tedious-one chapter visits Henry's affluent neighborhood, the next ventures to Chin's home in Chinatown, and back again-and the "ordinary heroes" theme is presented a bit heavy-handedly”. -- School Library Journal

5.  Connections

-  Other books about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906:

•   Bronson, William. The Earth Shook, the Sky Burned. 1959. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. ISBN 9780811850476.

•   Karwoski, Gail. Quake! : a disaster in San Francisco, 1906. 2006. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree. ISBN 9781561453696.

•   Tarshis, Lauren. I survived the San Francisco earthquake, 1906. 2012. Jefferson City, MO: Scholastic. ISBN 9780545206990.

-Ask children to write a story about what they would do if they were in an earthquake.  Invite them to include illustrations to thoroughly think about the consequences such a natural disaster could have. 

-Create a simulaneous earthquake discussion.  Read books about earthquake in general.  Teach children how and why they happen.  After research, pose the question “What is the earthquake?”

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)

1.  Bibliography

Kerley, Barbara. 2010. The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy). Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545125086.

2.  Plot Summary

Susy, Mark Twain’s 13-year-old daughter, used a journal to create her own biography about her father.  Kerley uses this biography to create a kid-friendly story about Mark Twain through the eyes of his daughter.  Susy says she wants the world to know more of Mark Twain than just his humorous side.  Kerley uses her interpretation of Susy’s story combined with journal excerpts on small pages that are titled “journal” and are written in script-like handwriting.  These pages are quotes from Susy and are made even more realistic with the inclusion of her spelling errors.  The story is followed by an author’s note, advice on creating a biography for children, and a timeline of Mark Twain’s life.  

3.  Critical Analysis

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) is based on a subject that could be considered drab - a story about a person writing a biography.  Kerley has turned this into an interesting, humorous and entertaining subject.  Susy has a unique perspective for Twain’s biography including quotes from her journal as a 13-year-old.  Kerley has used information about Twain’s life from multiple sources including the original manuscript of Susy’s biography about her father (the book, Papa, is an alternative source for those that do not have access to the original manuscript), Biography of Mark Twain, and a variety of other books about Mark Twain.  

Edwin Fotheringham created digital illustrations that are humorous, eye-catching and appropriately aligned with the story.  The story starts and ends with Susy using an oversized pen.  This sets the mood for the silly yet informative story the reader will indulge in.  Each page includes curvy lines to represent action or speaking on behalf of the characters of the book that adds whimsy to the illustrations.  The text is written in a large variety of fonts and colors which create a fun reading atmosphere.  All of the quotes are listed in quotation marks and bolded which emphasize Susy’s direct input into the story.  Although this is fun and whimsical, some of the words and fonts are difficult to read at times. 

One of the most fun parts of this book is finding a segment of Susy’s journal on the page you are reading.  Her journal segments are included on smaller pages which add a three-dimensional feel to the book.  Her misspellings and heart-felt writings are amusing and touching.  This is a well-organized and entertaining story about the extraordinary Mark Twain coupled with inviting and unique illustrations.  

4.  Award & Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books Award Winner

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner

California Book Awards Nominee

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee

“Adding dynamic flair to the limited palettes of each digitally created scene are curlicues representing words, which emanate wildly from pen tips, pages, and mouths. Author notes about Susy and her father, a time line of Twain's life, and tips for writing an "extraordinary biography" complete this accessible and inventive vision of an American legend.”  -- Publishers Weekly Review

“Though a story about someone writing a book sounds a bit static and it sometimes is Kerley manages to bring Susy and her famous father to life using plenty of household anecdotes. With a restrained palette and a fine sense of line, Fotheringham's stylized, digital illustrations are wonderfully freewheeling, sometimes comical, and as eccentric as Susy's subject.” -- Booklist Review

“The text flawlessly segues into Susy's carefully recorded, sometimes misspelled, details of his character, intimate life, and work routine during his most prolific years. Digitally enhanced illustrations, colored with a Victorian palette and including dynamic, inventive perspectives, tell volumes about the subject by way of Fotheringham's technique of drawing lines that represent Twain's impatience, mirth, smoking habit, love for family and cats, storytelling, pool-playing, and truth-pondering.” -- School Library Journal Review

5.  Connections

• Invite children to use the advice on creating a biography at the end of the book and start a biography about someone in their family.
• As part of a history discussion, ask children to choose other biographies they are interested in reading.  Recommend the following titles:
• Fleming, Candace. 2011. Amelia lost: the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375841989
• Holzer, Harold. 2011. Father Abraham: Lincoln and his sons. Calkins Creek. ISBN 9781590783030
• Reef, Catherine. 2011. Jane Austen: a life revealed. Clarion Books. ISBN 9780547370217.
• Schroeder, Alan. 2011. Ben Franklin: his wit and wisdom from A to Z. Ill. by John O’Brien. Holiday House. ISBN 9780823419500.
• Read a variety of biographies about Mark Twain and compare the differences in perspectives of life.  Relevant titles include:
• Blitt, Barry. 2011. The adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn. Ill. by Robert Burleigh. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689830419
• Sonneborn, Liz. 2010. Mark Twain. Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 9781604137286

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the world's strangest parrot

1.  Bibliography

Montgomery, Sy. 2010. Kakapo Rescue: Saving the world’s strangest parrot. Ill. by Nic Bishop. New York, NY. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.  

2.  Plot Summary

This non-fiction story is about a parrot called the kakapo that is fighting extinction.  A bird that was once common all over New Zealand became endangered when the first settlers of New Zealand, Maori, and their dogs were predators of the kakapo.  There are less than 100 kakapo parrots left on earth and they all live in New Zealand on Codfish Island.  Much of the story is dedicated to New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team that is working to prevent extinction this beautiful, loving bird that is unable to fly.  These volunteers work hard days and sleepless nights in a variety of ways to fight the devastating threat that the world’s strangest parrot is facing.  

Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop are describing the ten day trip in which they lived amongst the parrots and volunteers in New Zealand.  Their text and photographic exploration of this world is combined into 74 pages of information about the kakapo, the recovery team, and New Zealand.   

3.  Critical Analysis

The story of the kakapo and its struggle to survive is moving and interesting.  Montgomery and Bishop are creating awareness for endangered animal species that may otherwise be overlooked, especially by children in the recommended age range for this book.  Any reader will be touched by the amount of time and effort the volunteers and recovery team spend to protect this species.  Aside from the social responsibility that children are introduced to, the wealth of knowledge that the book contains far exceeded my expectations.  The conflict of the birds against the wild barely scraps the surface of what Montgomery offers.  Photos and information about New Zealand, the volunteers and their work and the personalized story of multiple birds are truly the heart of the book.  

Although the story is heartfelt and informative, the book would certainly hold the attention of an older child much longer than a third grade child.  Many of the 74 pages are filled with words and could likely cause a child much younger than 11 years old to loose interest quickly.  The author and illustrator fight the overload of information gallantly by creating a photo essay which personalizes the story and creates appropriateness for a wide range of ages.  That being said, this book is a great non-fiction book that could provide endless information for a book report or study of animals.  Fortunately, the enthusiasm and conversational style text are very beneficial when reading such a heavy story.  

Bishop has taken photographs that could not be paired better with Montgomery’s story.  The photos are real, breathtaking and create a vision for children of what the strange parrot looks like from infancy to adulthood.  Readers will understand the beauty of New Zealand and the kakapo through each page.  Also, the snapshots of volunteers truly show the joy that have in working with these birds and complement the information so well. There is not a better way to illustrate such a story and the photographs truly bring the entire book together.  These photographs coupled with the brilliant organization of each page create a photo essay informational book that is brilliant and breathtaking.  

4.  Award & Review Excerpts

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner

American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner

    Nominated for Young Hoosier Book Award 

”Montgomery and Bishop were granted 10 days in which to accompany members of the team (many volunteering their time and efforts) as they radio-tracked the birds night and day in their forest habitat, weighed chicks, watched nesting behavior through hidden cameras, and plowed through gale-force winds and torrential rain to monitor the well-being of their charges. Excellent photos and a readable, conversational text provide an intimate look at a concerted effort to save a drastically endangered species unfamiliar to most of the world outside Down Under.”  -- School Library Journal Review 

“Young readers will be fascinated by the incredible measures that the passionate workers follow to help the new birds hatch, and many will share the team's heartbreak when some chicks die. Bishop's photos of the creatures and their habitat are stunning; an awe-inspiring, closing image of the world's eighty-seventh known Kakapo emerging from its shell captures the miracle of birth, for any species.” -- Booklist Starred Review

5.  Connections

• Before reading the story, ask students if they have ever heard of a kakapo?  What about a parrot?  Invite them to draw how they would imagine a kakapo would look.  
• Invite children (6th and 7th grade) to read this story independently.  Assign chapters and discuss each one on a scheduled day. 
• Ask students what part of that chapter they remember specifically and review those parts to discuss as a group.  
• Look at all of the photos in each chapter and discuss what the photo means or is to the students.  

              - Ask children that would like to write a letter thanking the volunteers and New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team.  Send this letter with any donations that adults or parents would like to lend to the organization.  

             -Create a chart on the wall with the number of kakapo currently living in the world (see   the regularly updated web page for this information www.kakaporecovery.org.nz.) and update this monthly.  This creates continued awareness for children to remember the story of the kakapo.  

Down, Down, Down: a journey to the bottom of the sea

1.  Bibliography
Jenkins, Steve. 2009. Down, Down, Down: a journey to the bottom of the sea. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 9780618966363.

2.  Plot Summary

This journey to the bottom of the sea is created by a well-known and respected author in the field of nonfiction books for children.  Jenkins provides a story of facts about the creatures you will find from right above the sea all the way to the deepest spot in the ocean.  The book starts out just above the surface and Jenkins discusses a variety of things including sights, sounds, and animals as you dive deeper into the ocean.  Throughout you will find a variety of animals and tidbits of information about their survival.  The last pages are more in-depth descriptions of each animal that is mentioned on each page.   

3.  Critical Analysis

Jenkins creates a credible and informative story that would be appropriate for children in kindergarten and up.  The author’s reputation in children’s nonfiction creates a feeling or comfort with the accuracy in the story and his bibliography instills even more confidence in the information.  The organization of the book is creative and logical.  Jenkins begins just above the surface and explores further and further down with each subtitled page. Along the right side of the page, readers can follow the level of depth in the sea they are exploring.  The end of the book is supported with detailed descriptions of each animal including a comparison of the size of the creature and the human body.  

The design and organization of this book is logical and inviting.  Readers are introduced to creatures of the sea but are not overwhelmed with information on each page.  The animal illustrations are unique yet accurate and some are even described based upon their relationship to the depth and darkness of the ocean.  The white text is easy to read and compliments the dark blues and black backgrounds.  The text is not only appropriately colored but the writing, placement and vocabulary is exactly what I would expect out of this type of book.  Jenkins does not hold back with factual information but maintains vocabulary appropriate for the recommended age group for the book.  Children will be drawn into the collage illustrations and depth measurements along the right side of the page.  All of the bright and accurate images pop on the page just as they would if you could see this deep in the ocean.  

4.  Award & Review Excerpts

American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner

“Sophisticated cut- and torn-paper collage-work fit the alien qualities of the subjects well; it's equally at home capturing the tiered needlepoints of lizardfish teeth as it is delivering an impressive and illuminating display of bioluminescence.”  -- Booklist Review

“Usually three or four animals-whales, fish, worms, and more-are featured. Sometimes colorful or luminescent and often toothy, they are both familiar and strange. In some views, the animals are relative in size, but in others, those that are actually quite different in scale appear to be similar.” -- School Library Journal Review

“A must for any geography or natural history collection, this will be a great preparation for an aquarium visit or any discussion of ecology. More than that, however, it manages to convey the fact that most of our world is very, very different from what we experience, and that there may be nothing so strange and wonderful as our own planetary home.” -- The Bulletin Starred Review

5.  Connections

• Invite students to read this story before a trip to the aquarium or discussion about the deep sea and it’s creatures.  
• Other books by Steve Jenkins:

• Jenkins, Steve. Actual Size. 2004. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618375945
• Jenkins, Steve. Wiggling Worms at Work. HarperCollins. ISBN 006028448X
• Jenkins, Steve and Robin Page. Move!. Ill. by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 061864637X

• Related books about the sea:

• Berger, Melvin. Dive! a book of deep sea creatures. 2000. Scholastic. ISBN 0439087473
• Jenkins, Steve. Into the A, B, Sea: an ocean alphabet. 2000. Scholastic Press.   ISBN 0439096960
• Neubecker, Robert. Wow! Ocean! 2011. Disney/Hyperion Books. ISBN 9781423131137
• Phillips, Gary R. and Jennifer Kramer. Ocean Hide and Seek. 2009. Sylvan Dell. ISBN 9781934359914