Module 12: Me...Jane

Module 12: Me…Jane

Summary: This is the story of Jane Goodall’s childhood. Jane Goodall spent her childhood with her beloved, stuffed chimpanzee, Jubilee, exploring the outdoors of her home. She read about animals, she watched animals, and she dreamt about helping animals. Most of all, Jane dreamt about living in Africa where she could help all of the animals there. When Jane grew up she did just that, and she is famous for her work with the animals.

Citation: McDonnell, P. (2011). Me…Jane. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Impression: This a beautifully written and inspiring book. The simple words keep the reader hooked and the illustrations pastel colors are soothing and peaceful. Every child can relate to playing outside and loving the idea of working with animals. Nearly every child has a point when they love nature, the outdoors, and all the creatures out there, even the slimy ones. This childish innocence is perfectly captured by adorable Jane exploring her surroundings with Jubille by her side. The amazing part is that this child held onto her dreams and became one of the most inspirational humanitarians in the world.

Review: Little Jane Goodall and Jubilee (her toy chimpanzee) ramble outside their English country home observing everyday animal miracles and dreaming of a life in Africa, "living with, / and helping, / all animals." Readers familiar with the groundbreaking primatologist will love seeing her as a conventional, buttoned-up child, wearing a plaid skirt, classic bob and hair clip as she squats in a coop to watch a chicken drop an egg. McDonnell’s simple ink-and-watercolor illustrations appear as sunny, amorphous panels in ample white space. Purposeful black lines provide specificity with small suggestive strokes—a tiny apostrophic smile relays Jane’s complete contentment sprawled in grass. Opposite pages offer groupings of faint, intricate stamps that correspond with young Jane’s early outdoor experiences and engage readers with their fine details. The playful interplay among stamps, cartoonish drawings and real photographs of Jane reminds readers of a child’s hodgepodge journal—one like Jane’s, which appears as a double-page spread showing her animal studies, charts, games and doodles. Children will appreciate McDonnell’s original format and take heart that interests logged in their own diaries might turn into lifelong passions. Backmatter includes a pithy biography, additional photographs and a letter and drawing from Jane herself—children will thrill at the connection. (Picture book/biography. 2-10)

(2011). Me…Jane [Review of the Book Me…Jane]. Kirkus Review. Retrieved from             https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patrick-mcdonnell/mejane/

Suggestion: This is a great book to use for a book talk on nonfiction or biographies. It’s simple yet educational and very inspiring. It could be used to introduce biographies for any age.

Module 11: The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

Module 11: The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

Summary: This is the story of the Romanovs, the royal family of Russia. The decadence of the high class society has left the majority of Russians in poverty and despair. The book chronicles the family’s history from before the royal couple was a couple to after their captivity and the discovery of their hidden bones.

Citation: Fleming, C. (2014). The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial   Russia. New York: Random House Children’s Books.

Impression: This book is a great combination of information and excitement. Court intrigue, tragic poverty, and thrilling mystery combine to make a great read. Also the author’s extensive research and use of private diaries to give voices to these historical deceased. The author uses enough quotes from the diaries to show the story is historical and true without turning the novel into a textbook. The setting is detailed enough that without being a historian the reader can tell the people of Russia are desperate for change and the monarchs, although not evil, are spoiled in their wealth. Fleming does a great job of making the royals into people with feelings and thoughts of their own despite their public appearance as cold monarchs. Furthermore, the whole story unfolds with such suspense and elegant interweaving of historical documents and plot that the reader is immersed in that time period and its events completely. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys history and drama.  

Review: Fleming examines the family at the center of two of the early 20th century’s defining events.

It’s an astounding and complex story, and Fleming lays it neatly out for readers unfamiliar with the context. Czar Nicholas II was ill-prepared in experience and temperament to step into his legendary father’s footsteps. Nicholas’ beloved wife (and granddaughter of Queen Victoria), Alexandra, was socially insecure, becoming increasingly so as she gave birth to four daughters in a country that required a male heir. When Alexei was born with hemophilia, the desperate monarchs hid his condition and turned to the disruptive, self-proclaimed holy man Rasputin. Excerpts from contemporary accounts make it clear how years of oppression and deprivation made the population ripe for revolutionary fervor, while a costly war took its toll on a poorly trained and ill-equipped military. The secretive deaths and burials of the Romanovs fed rumors and speculation for decades until modern technology and new information solved the mysteries. Award-winning author Fleming crafts an exciting narrative from this complicated history and its intriguing personalities. It is full of rich details about the Romanovs, insights into figures such as Vladimir Lenin and firsthand accounts from ordinary Russians affected by the tumultuous events. A variety of photographs adds a solid visual dimension, while the meticulous research supports but never upstages the tale.

A remarkable human story, told with clarity and confidence. (bibliography, Web resources, source notes, picture credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

(2014). The Family Romanov [Review of the book The Family Romanove: Murder, Rebellion,       and the Fall of Imperial Russia]. Kirkus Review. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/candace-fleming/the-family-romanov/

Suggestion: This would be a great book to use for a display on intriguing informational books for teenagers. 

Module 10: Tomas and the Library Lady

Module 10: Tomas and the Library Lady

Summary: Tomas and his family are migrant workers. They work in Texas during the winter and in Iowa during the summer. When the family goes to Iowa for the summer, Tomas begins to visit the town library. The librarian is gentle and kind with the shy boy and encourages him to read. The librarian allows Tomas to check out books under her name, and Tomas shares his stories with his family the way his grandfather does. When it is time to return to Texas Tomas tells the librarian goodbye and thank you, and the librarian sends him with a book as a present.

Citation: Mora, P. (2000). Tomas and the library lady. New York: Dragonfly Books.

Impression: This book is an inspirational and heart-warming read. Tomas’ kind and inquisitive nature keeps the reader interested in his endeavors to read and share his stories. The whole family is loving. Although the details of their migrant life show they are impoverished, the love and respect the family shares is enough to make anyone smile. Mora does a great job of showing the hardships and struggles of migrant life without overwhelming or causing a young reader much alarm. This book is especially important because it shows an impoverished child of Hispanic heritage continuing with education despite obstacles in his path. This is an important lesson for many children that do not have strong academic role models in their families, and they need to see someone with their shared culture and experiences that succeeds in life through education, determination, and hard work. 

Review: Today Rivera's legacy lives on at the Tomàs Rivera Policy Institute in California, which "promotes the well-being of the Latino population of the United States," and the Tomàs Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, established in 1995 at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. This award is presented annually for children's and young adult literature that portrays Mexican American culture in a positive manner. Pat Mora's Tomàs and the Library Lady (1997) is based on the real-life experience of young migrant worker Rivera and the Iowa librarian who introduced him to the world of books. Beloved by librarians across the country, Mora's picture book is a tribute to her one-time co-worker Tomàs Rivera. Fittingly, it was awarded the Tomàs Rivera Award in 1997.

York, S. (2002). The migrant experience in the works of Mexican American writers [Review of the                book Tomas and the Library Lady]. Alan Review. Retrieved from                          

           http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v30n1/york.html

Suggestion: This book would be great to put on display during the National Hispanic Heritage Month. Students of all ages can learn about an important educational figure, and how his love of learning came at an early age with the help of a kind librarian. 

Module 9: The Trouble with Chickens

Module 9: The Trouble with Chickens

Summary: J.J. Tully used to be a search-and-rescue dog. Now he lives on a farm with his owner, but the farm life is a bit boring for him. Therefore, when a chicken asks him to find her lost chicks J.J. is ready for the challenge. Vindictive house dogs and ambitious chickens lead J.J through the hoops and put in a predicament that his years of search and rescue have not prepared him for. How can he get out of the bolted cage?

Citation: Cronin, D. (2011). The trouble with chickens.  New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Impression: J.J. Tully is a fun character for young readers to follow. The situations are silly and fun, and easy enough for beginning readers to follow. The jokes are cute, and most young readers would pick up on the jokes easily. The illustrations are well placed and give the reader just enough help with visualizing without taking away the imagination work. This is a great series to get children started with mysteries. 

Review: Popular farmyard chronicler Cronin (Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, illustrated by Betsy Lewin, 2000, etc.) makes the jump to middle-grade fiction in this faux–hard-boiled mystery featuring talking animals. Her deadpan humor is much in evidence as she describes the circumstances under which retired search-and-rescue dog J.J. Tully undertakes the case of the missing chick. Puns abound, and J.J. is definitely not quite as clever as he believes himself to be, allowing readers to gently laugh at as well as with him. Sophisticated vocabulary and a complicated plot suggest the older range of readers as the most likely audience, but frequent illustrations and a relatively large font should make the story accessible to the younger end as well. Cornell’s black-and-white drawings extend both the humor and the action. In some pictures J.J. is slightly reminiscent of Scooby-Doo, another canine sleuth, while in others he is both distinctive and dogged in his determination to solve the puzzle. The chickens, mother and four chicks, are seriously silly looking and utterly adorable, which suits their surprisingly rounded characters just right.  Finding out how “Vince the Funnel” fits in, whether J.J. is being double-crossed by his client and how the climactic rescue will be resolved should keep readers engaged while Cronin’s constant word-play will keep them giggling. Fast and funny. (Comic mystery. 8-11)

(2011). The trouble with chickens [Book review of The Trouble with Chickens]. Kirkus Reviews.   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/doreen-cronin/trouble- chickens/

Suggestions: This would be a great book for a book talk in an elementary school about mysteries. The book is simple enough for leisure with some dictionary worthy words to help young minds grow. 

Module 8: Insurgent

Module 8: Insurgent

Summary: In the second installment of the Divergent series, Insurgent shows Tris’ next move after the massacre and battle between the factions. Tris and Four find themselves with other factions hiding out in the Amity faction. Tris’ guilt for killing Will has left her stunned and unable to use a gun. She hides this from Four and their companions. Tensions rise between the factions as the remaining leaders struggle for control and the safety of their people. Tris and Four’s relationship becomes strained as they fight their way through the factions, traitors, and torturous experiments that Jeanine Matthews conducts on them while they are imprisoned in Erudite headquarters.

Citation: Roth, V. (2012). Insurgent. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Impression: Insurgent continues Tris’ story. However, Tris is no longer the same after killing her own friend and watching her parents die. This is understandable, but the frustrating aspect of Tris’ character is her lack of trust and knack for getting caught in every endeavor. The book is enjoyable, but some of Tris’ charm is lost when she loses confidence in herself and her friends. Although her self-sacrificing nature seems praise-worthy, even that is proven a lie when she realizes she doesn’t want to die and confesses she didn’t really think about death before. This book may be more suited for teenagers who will not be as frustrated with Tris’ teenage flaws, or I may just not have enough patience for this character to grow into a better protagonist.

Review: In this addictive sequel to the acclaimed Divergent (2011), a bleak post-apocalyptic Chicago ruled by "factions" exemplifying different personality traits collapses into all-out civil war.

With both the Dauntless and Abnegation factions shattered by the Erudite attack, Tris and her companions seek refuge with Amity and Candor, and even among the factionless. But the Erudite search for "Divergents" continues relentlessly. They have a secret to protect—one they fear could prove more catastrophic than open warfare; one they will slaughter to keep hidden... Rather than ease readers back into this convoluted narrative, the book plunges the characters into immediate danger without clues to their current relationships, let alone their elaborate back stories. The focus is firmly on the narrator Tris, who, devastated by guilt and grief, reveals new depth and vitality. While taking actions less Dauntless than recklessly suicidal, she retains her convenient knack for overhearing crucial conversations and infallibly sizing up others. Her romance with Tobias is achingly tender and passionate, and her friends and enemies alike display a realistic spectrum of mixed motivations and conflicted choices. The unrelenting suspense piles pursuit upon betrayal upon torture upon pitched battles; the violence is graphic, grisly and shockingly indiscriminate. The climactic reveal, hinting at the secret origins of their society, is neither surprising nor particularly plausible, but the frenzied response makes for another spectacular cliffhanger.

Anyone who read the first book was dying for this one months ago; they'll hardly be able to wait for the concluding volume. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

(2012). Insurgent [Review of the book Insurgent]. Kirkus Review. Retrieved from             https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/veronica-roth/insurgent/

Suggestion: This book would be good for a display on current book to movie releases. Although we always prefer to have the book read first, sometimes the movie inspires a reading which is still a win in my mind.

Module 7: My Name is Mina

Module 7: My Name is Mina

Summary: This book follows the life and learnings of a young girl named Mina. Mina does not fit in at school, so she gets home schooled by her mom. Along with dealing with her father’s death Mina must look inside herself to better understand the world and people around her.

Citation: Almond, D. (2010). My Name is Mina. New York: Random House Inc.

Impression: Mina’s thoughts are beautifully messy. When she thinks of a words she likes she endearingly repeats and bolds it. Every realization and wandering thought is a joy to read because her strong spirit and bright mind keep the reader guessing as to what will happen next. The book covers some deep thoughts like death and other less intense concepts such as animal watching. I enjoyed this book, but I think certain “type A” people would be frustrated by the piece by piece thought process that Mina has and the lack of a strong plot and traditional storytelling. 

Review: This is an incredible book. It isn't a story; it is a collection of thoughts and words. Most of the time I was reading it I forgot it was written by David Almond; I read it like it was Mina writing it as she was thinking it.

I would usually give an insight to the book at this point, but there is no story to this book. It is almost more like a set of thoughts and guides to get more out of life, and for that reason I love it. This is a book about Mina that what happens to her. Mina is a girl who most people think is a weirdo. But she looks at life in completely different way to everyone else – she loves words and thinks that every word has a life of its own.

(2014). My name is Mina [Review of the book My Name is Mina].The Guardian.

Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/feb/22/review-david-almond-my-name-is-mina

Suggestion: This book would be good for a book talk to teenage girls or students that exhibit interest in diaries or realistic fiction. Since the thoughts and feelings are all straight from Mina, I feel that girls would enjoy it more. However, I'm sure there are some boys that would enjoy reading Mina's sprawling thoughts. 

Module 6: No, David!

Module 6: No, David!

Summary: David is a mischievous young boy that gets into a lot of trouble because he plays too rough or breaks things. His mother constantly tells him no and to stop misbehaving, however she also shows her love for him.

Citation: Shannon, D. (1998). No, David! New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Impression: This is a fun book for young children because they can see how silly David is. The bright pictures and crazy antics demonstrated by David are sure to make readers laugh. The scene in which David goes running away naked is especially funny for children.The only thing that is concerning is that children may want to emulate his behavior, but that can be prevented by an early explanation that what he is doing is not correct behavior. Furthermore, it can lead to a discussion about why his behavior is not appropriate.

Review: This autobiographical (according to the author's note) story from Shannon (A Bad Case of Stripes, 1998, etc.) features a young hellion, also named David, who is forever at the receiving end of a sharp ""No!"" Among his prime escapades: over-reaching for the cookie jar, excavating his nose, tracking mud on the carpet, pounding pots, playing with food, making a naked escape from the house--classics all. ""That's enough,"" his mother shouts, and other familiar adult admonishments show up as well--be quiet, come back here, go to your room, settle down, stop that this instant, not in the house. This last comes as David prepares for a little indoor hardball. Does he listen? Does he break a vase? Does he get sent to the corner, nose to the wall? Readers or listeners will be gripped by this episode right out of their own lives, through to the stray tear, the look of contrition, and the moment of redemption: ""Davey, come here. Yes, David . . . I love you."" The illustrations are wonderful, full of good-time trouble-making tomfoolery, borrowing on the energy of children's drawings and the determined strokes of their early attempts at lettering. David is a small, snaggle-toothed piehead whose mischief--for those who don't have to clean up after him--is nothing short of exhilarating.

No, David! [Review of the book No, David!]. Kirkus Review. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-shannon-6/no-david-2/

Suggestion: This would be a great book for a story time for young children and to introduce to parents to add to their night time story collections.