By Sharon Creech
I can think of a plethora of ways to use this in the classroom - modeling the use of a writer's notebook, encouraging written response during the reading workshop, modeling our work off of the writing of others, showing students that poetry can be about whatever inspires us most.
We don't know much about Jack. We don't know what he looks like. We don't know who his friends are. We don't know what he likes to do in his free time. We just know what he has written - and through that, we learn more about him than we could ever possibly imagine. I loved seeing Jack's thought process peek out in his writing, and I loved seeing how his thoughts and feelings evolved over time. I especially loved seeing his transformation from a boy who doesn't want to write poetry into a boy who has found his voice and believes in himself as a thoughtful and powerful writer.
As educators I think this is a dream that we have for all of our students, regardless of what they look like, who their friends are, and what they like to do in their free time. And that is what makes this book so universal: there are enough details in this book to make it realistic, but the themes are broad enough that every single reader can put themselves in Jack's shoes. As I started reading this book I wished I had more details about Jack, but it turned out that none of them mattered. Even if we don't know everything about him, we can relate to him through his writing.
I think this is an important message to take away as readers, as writers, and as educators. Even if we leave out some of the details, when we write we are putting ourselves onto the paper. Sometimes it's scary and hard, sometimes we don't want to do it, and sometimes we write things so personal that we thought they would stay inside us forever. The same is true of our students. I think introducing them to and "turning them on" to poetry opens up a whole new world of self-expression and reflection that none of them ever imagined. And reading this book is a great way to help us achieve that goal.
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Holly's Secret
By Nancy Garden
When 11-year-old Holly moves from Manhattan to Massachusetts, she and her lifelong friend Kelsey devise a new plan for her new life. After all, new beginnings offer us a chance to change the things we don't like about ourselves, right? Holly decides to call herself Yvette (after her glamorous and girly aunt) and lies to her new friends about a central fact of her life: that she has two moms. As could be expected, assuming this new identity proves to be harder than Holly ever expected. And readers are left wondering: how long can she keep it up before her secret comes out?
Of course, eventually Holly's plan backfires, and she learns a lesson about being who you truly are, without shame or fear. While I appreciated the theme and message of this book (while there are several picture books regarding homosexuality is has been difficult for me to find any novels, particularly from the perspective of a child with gay parents), the entire story felt a bit contrived. Since the book is written in the third person, as a reader I felt like I was never really able to get inside Holly's head. What was she feeling? And it seemed as if Holly was never really able to stand up for herself until she had absolutely no other options. I understand that Garden was trying to reflect upon the fact that dealing with such issues is often difficult for children, but it would have been beneficial to see a much stronger heroine in this story. Additionally, Garden leaves out a lot of details (such as saying they ate "all Holly's favorite dishes" for her birthday, instead of actually giving us any details). I get the feeling that this was an attempt to make Holly seem more universal to a wide audience, but in reality it made the story seem less real. As a reader it was very hard to relate to any of the characters or situations in this book.
Overall I think this book was okay - nothing spectacular. I have to give Garden credit for tackling a difficult subject that many authors avoid - but at the same time, I am left wishing for a story that would be more realistic.
When 11-year-old Holly moves from Manhattan to Massachusetts, she and her lifelong friend Kelsey devise a new plan for her new life. After all, new beginnings offer us a chance to change the things we don't like about ourselves, right? Holly decides to call herself Yvette (after her glamorous and girly aunt) and lies to her new friends about a central fact of her life: that she has two moms. As could be expected, assuming this new identity proves to be harder than Holly ever expected. And readers are left wondering: how long can she keep it up before her secret comes out?
Of course, eventually Holly's plan backfires, and she learns a lesson about being who you truly are, without shame or fear. While I appreciated the theme and message of this book (while there are several picture books regarding homosexuality is has been difficult for me to find any novels, particularly from the perspective of a child with gay parents), the entire story felt a bit contrived. Since the book is written in the third person, as a reader I felt like I was never really able to get inside Holly's head. What was she feeling? And it seemed as if Holly was never really able to stand up for herself until she had absolutely no other options. I understand that Garden was trying to reflect upon the fact that dealing with such issues is often difficult for children, but it would have been beneficial to see a much stronger heroine in this story. Additionally, Garden leaves out a lot of details (such as saying they ate "all Holly's favorite dishes" for her birthday, instead of actually giving us any details). I get the feeling that this was an attempt to make Holly seem more universal to a wide audience, but in reality it made the story seem less real. As a reader it was very hard to relate to any of the characters or situations in this book.
Overall I think this book was okay - nothing spectacular. I have to give Garden credit for tackling a difficult subject that many authors avoid - but at the same time, I am left wishing for a story that would be more realistic.
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave Mckean
"It takes a whole village to raise a child," or so the old proverb goes. But when it comes to Nobody Owens, instead of a village, it takes a graveyard. When Nobody (who goes by Bod for short) was the sole survivor of an attack on his family at the tender age of 18 months, the residents of the local graveyard took it upon themselves to raise him. Bod grows up in a strange world of limbo - still living, he learns the habits, knowledge, and magic of the graveyard. And his life is anything but ordinary - he meets ghouls and witches, and his personal mentor is a vampire. Readers watch as he tries to make friends and fit in at school (which of course is difficult, considering the differences that exist between Bod and "normal" children). Eventually, he confronts "the man named Jack" who murdered his entire family when he was a baby, and after that we see his attempt at living in the "real world."
I also really like the illustrations of this book. Mckean's wonderful hand-drawn artwork is at the beginning of every chapter. And though this book definitely involves a lot of reading, I think the illustrations add a lot to readers' interpretations and mental images regarding the story.
This Newberry Medal-winning book opens our eyes and our imaginations to what it might be like to be raised by the dead. Not only that, but through the entirety of Bod's adventures, we learn just how wonderful it is to actually be alive. Though this book has "mature" themes, I think it is a wonderful book for upper elementary aged readers.
There is another great aspect of this story. Though the book itself forms the entirety of Bod's story, each chapter can be read alone as an independent story. Gaiman, who wrote the book this way on purpose, ended up going on tour, reading entire chapters at a time to his audience. He followed each chapter by an extended Q&A session. And, not only that, but he posted all of these readings online for everyone to see. Not only can we buy and read the book, but through this use of technology we can see and hear the author read the entire book to us. What a great idea for a class read-aloud!
Illustrated by Dave Mckean
"It takes a whole village to raise a child," or so the old proverb goes. But when it comes to Nobody Owens, instead of a village, it takes a graveyard. When Nobody (who goes by Bod for short) was the sole survivor of an attack on his family at the tender age of 18 months, the residents of the local graveyard took it upon themselves to raise him. Bod grows up in a strange world of limbo - still living, he learns the habits, knowledge, and magic of the graveyard. And his life is anything but ordinary - he meets ghouls and witches, and his personal mentor is a vampire. Readers watch as he tries to make friends and fit in at school (which of course is difficult, considering the differences that exist between Bod and "normal" children). Eventually, he confronts "the man named Jack" who murdered his entire family when he was a baby, and after that we see his attempt at living in the "real world."
I also really like the illustrations of this book. Mckean's wonderful hand-drawn artwork is at the beginning of every chapter. And though this book definitely involves a lot of reading, I think the illustrations add a lot to readers' interpretations and mental images regarding the story.
This Newberry Medal-winning book opens our eyes and our imaginations to what it might be like to be raised by the dead. Not only that, but through the entirety of Bod's adventures, we learn just how wonderful it is to actually be alive. Though this book has "mature" themes, I think it is a wonderful book for upper elementary aged readers.
There is another great aspect of this story. Though the book itself forms the entirety of Bod's story, each chapter can be read alone as an independent story. Gaiman, who wrote the book this way on purpose, ended up going on tour, reading entire chapters at a time to his audience. He followed each chapter by an extended Q&A session. And, not only that, but he posted all of these readings online for everyone to see. Not only can we buy and read the book, but through this use of technology we can see and hear the author read the entire book to us. What a great idea for a class read-aloud!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
So Far From the Bamboo Grove
By Yoko Kawashima Watkins
I thought this book was very interesting and moving, and to be honest I was surprised that I had not read it before. It really brought my attention to a historical event that I have never really thought about before.
I've read a lot of criticism online about this book - and yes, Yoko has a very one-sided viewpoint of the entire situation. I've even read some comments such as "how dare she wrote such a pity war story." I'm not going to argue with the fact that a story which was written from an 11-year-old Japanese girl's point of view is probably going to be biased. Isn't that the point? Yoko isn't trying to offer the entire history of Korea - she's telling her story. The history of Korea is a long and complicated one, and this book simply offers a look at how this history affected one person at one particular point in time.
It is up to us as educators to make sure that our students have the critical thinking skills to realize that this story cannot be used to generalize entire nations. But it is also up to us as human beings to approach this story with compassion and empathy for an author who was willing to put herself out on the line by telling us her personal story. I can only imagine that it was not easy for Kawashima to put such a big part of herself out into the world for everyone to see and judge.
It is easy to jump to conclusions in this book about how our students need to be shown more than one viewpoint when it comes to history. Pairing this book with The Year of Impossible Goodbyes seems logical to us because we are distanced enough from this situation to see the biases of either side. But what about the other lessons we teach students in our classrooms? I would even go so far to say that we need to think about this issue with everything we teach in regards to history. For so long, "history" has just been what is written in the books, given to us from one particular viewpoint. With stories that we can distance ourselves from, such as this one, it is easy to balance out the viewpoints.
But what about the issues that hit close to home for us? Are there educators out there who are willing to concede that even historical books such as The Diary of Anne Frank are biased? Perhaps reading a story from the viewpoint of a Nazi child would show us more about what life was like during World War II. If that seems too extreme, perhaps sharing a tale from a British boy's viewpoint during the American Revolution would seem more acceptable. I've come to see that we need to look at both sides to every story.
*Even typing this I am fearful that people will jump to conclusions about me trying to justify the Holocaust or something ridiculous. I'm not, and and maybe that is my point. The Holocaust was an atrocity in history that will hopefully never be repeated. But demonizing a child for having their own point of view and for loving the family they were born into doesn't make any sense to me. That is why I am so discomforted by critics who say that Yoko's character is biased, even though Yoko never says it is anything more than an 11-year-old girl telling us about her own life.
I thought this book was very interesting and moving, and to be honest I was surprised that I had not read it before. It really brought my attention to a historical event that I have never really thought about before.
I've read a lot of criticism online about this book - and yes, Yoko has a very one-sided viewpoint of the entire situation. I've even read some comments such as "how dare she wrote such a pity war story." I'm not going to argue with the fact that a story which was written from an 11-year-old Japanese girl's point of view is probably going to be biased. Isn't that the point? Yoko isn't trying to offer the entire history of Korea - she's telling her story. The history of Korea is a long and complicated one, and this book simply offers a look at how this history affected one person at one particular point in time.
It is up to us as educators to make sure that our students have the critical thinking skills to realize that this story cannot be used to generalize entire nations. But it is also up to us as human beings to approach this story with compassion and empathy for an author who was willing to put herself out on the line by telling us her personal story. I can only imagine that it was not easy for Kawashima to put such a big part of herself out into the world for everyone to see and judge.
It is easy to jump to conclusions in this book about how our students need to be shown more than one viewpoint when it comes to history. Pairing this book with The Year of Impossible Goodbyes seems logical to us because we are distanced enough from this situation to see the biases of either side. But what about the other lessons we teach students in our classrooms? I would even go so far to say that we need to think about this issue with everything we teach in regards to history. For so long, "history" has just been what is written in the books, given to us from one particular viewpoint. With stories that we can distance ourselves from, such as this one, it is easy to balance out the viewpoints.
But what about the issues that hit close to home for us? Are there educators out there who are willing to concede that even historical books such as The Diary of Anne Frank are biased? Perhaps reading a story from the viewpoint of a Nazi child would show us more about what life was like during World War II. If that seems too extreme, perhaps sharing a tale from a British boy's viewpoint during the American Revolution would seem more acceptable. I've come to see that we need to look at both sides to every story.
*Even typing this I am fearful that people will jump to conclusions about me trying to justify the Holocaust or something ridiculous. I'm not, and and maybe that is my point. The Holocaust was an atrocity in history that will hopefully never be repeated. But demonizing a child for having their own point of view and for loving the family they were born into doesn't make any sense to me. That is why I am so discomforted by critics who say that Yoko's character is biased, even though Yoko never says it is anything more than an 11-year-old girl telling us about her own life.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Misfits
By James Howe
I will admit that it took me a while to get into this style of reading, but after things got going I really enjoyed reading this book. Additionally, I think the style is very suitable for young readers and is likely to entice students to keep reading. It felt a bit contrived to me at first but to be honest I can see a 12-year-old writing this way, especially with the "minutes" of the Gang of Five's meetings and Bobby's own thoughts about the people in his life.
Our discussion in class really got me thinking. It is funny how some people picked up on some sort of "gay agenda" while others (including the author) simply regard this book's message as anti-bullying and pro-respect. While I was reading this book I never even really thought about it as a "pro-gay" book: Joe is just another character in the book, and not even a main character at that! I guess that is why it bothered me when I realized what a big fuss some people have made out of this book. There is clearly more here beyond the message that "being gay is okay," and besides, what's wrong with a message like that in the first place?
The fact that grown adults protest this book and say that being gay isn't okay is exactly why a book like this needs to exist. When grown adults are still being bullies to specific groups of people, the kids that we teach desperately need to be told that it's okay to be who you are. The message that adults send through these protests is that it's okay to be overweight like Bobby or super-nerdy and outspoken like Addy, but that it's not okay to be gay like Joe. It's like saying "It's okay to be who you are, as long as you're not ____." The not-so-hidden meaning behind this says that "You need to be how we want you to be." And setting hypocritical standards like that sends very confusing and upsetting messages to kids.
The controversy behind this book is very real, and is something that is still important in our schools today. Iowa had an anti-bullying law passed in 2007. This law prevents children from bullying or discrimination based on "real or perceived age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status" (Iowa Department of Education). But as recently as February of this year select state legislators have been pushing to remove sexual orientation and gender identity from the list, claiming that including them "pushes" homosexuality onto children. And what I would like to know is how that sort of behavior in grown men can be justified as anything but "bullying" itself.
This is an issue that really hits close to the bone for me. Statistics show that the majority of homosexual children and teens face harassment and bullying at school, and even with anti-bullying laws things have not improved as much as they should have. It is only through exposing our students to such outstanding literature and having open and honest discussions that we can show our students that they really are in a safe place where they can learn, grow, and develop into wonderful the human beings that they truly are.
I will admit that it took me a while to get into this style of reading, but after things got going I really enjoyed reading this book. Additionally, I think the style is very suitable for young readers and is likely to entice students to keep reading. It felt a bit contrived to me at first but to be honest I can see a 12-year-old writing this way, especially with the "minutes" of the Gang of Five's meetings and Bobby's own thoughts about the people in his life.
Our discussion in class really got me thinking. It is funny how some people picked up on some sort of "gay agenda" while others (including the author) simply regard this book's message as anti-bullying and pro-respect. While I was reading this book I never even really thought about it as a "pro-gay" book: Joe is just another character in the book, and not even a main character at that! I guess that is why it bothered me when I realized what a big fuss some people have made out of this book. There is clearly more here beyond the message that "being gay is okay," and besides, what's wrong with a message like that in the first place?
The fact that grown adults protest this book and say that being gay isn't okay is exactly why a book like this needs to exist. When grown adults are still being bullies to specific groups of people, the kids that we teach desperately need to be told that it's okay to be who you are. The message that adults send through these protests is that it's okay to be overweight like Bobby or super-nerdy and outspoken like Addy, but that it's not okay to be gay like Joe. It's like saying "It's okay to be who you are, as long as you're not ____." The not-so-hidden meaning behind this says that "You need to be how we want you to be." And setting hypocritical standards like that sends very confusing and upsetting messages to kids.
The controversy behind this book is very real, and is something that is still important in our schools today. Iowa had an anti-bullying law passed in 2007. This law prevents children from bullying or discrimination based on "real or perceived age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status" (Iowa Department of Education). But as recently as February of this year select state legislators have been pushing to remove sexual orientation and gender identity from the list, claiming that including them "pushes" homosexuality onto children. And what I would like to know is how that sort of behavior in grown men can be justified as anything but "bullying" itself.
This is an issue that really hits close to the bone for me. Statistics show that the majority of homosexual children and teens face harassment and bullying at school, and even with anti-bullying laws things have not improved as much as they should have. It is only through exposing our students to such outstanding literature and having open and honest discussions that we can show our students that they really are in a safe place where they can learn, grow, and develop into wonderful the human beings that they truly are.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Giver
By Lois Lowry
I'm going to assume that everyone in this class has read this book (because we were all supposed to), so instead of summarizing I'm just going to post what I think.
I'm not really sure what I think of The Giver. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought it was a wonderful book, and I definitely had trouble putting it down. It offers a look into an alternate, yet plausible, world - kind of a children's version of 1984, in a way. The plot was interesting and the characters were realistic and very relatable. Lois Lowry's language is so perfect that we can feel exactly what it would be like to be Jonas. When he struggles with the idea of his world, we struggle too. And in that sense, I think the story is very well-written.
The only thing I think I am unsure about is the ending. I have read that Lowry left it open-ended on purpose, and I can understand that. I'm still not really sure whether I think that Jonas has finally reached his happy Elsewhere, or if he is dying in the snow, entering a dreamlike state.
The one thing that doesn't really sit well with me was Jonas and the Giver's final plan. I feel like Jonas was cheated in some way - why was it his responsibility to leave, and not the Giver's? I know that the Giver mentioned that he was too old and weak to make the trip, and would have died during the journey. Jonas could have died too, but either way those memories and feelings would have come back to the people. And Jonas has so much more life to live, it really isn't fair that he is forced to risk his life. The Giver could have left instead - and even if he had died, to me it wouldn't have mattered as much, because he is already very old and has lived a full life. Jonas seems like such a thoughtful human being that I have trouble believing that the Giver would have been able to help the community cope with the memories any better than Jonas could have. And the Giver already had his chance to help the community, and failed.
A big part of this book is that so many questions are left unanswered. And I'm sure Lowry did this on purpose. We are all meant to be questioning why things are the way they are in Jonas' world, and what things would be like if the community were different.
Because of all of these questions, The Giver is sure to inspire deep and thoughtful discussions in and out the classroom. I feel that this book would be better utilized in a classroom if it were used as a group reading or a class read-aloud book, instead of just being read individually by one or two students. It would be a great book for a student to read on his or her own, but there are so many things to discuss that it would be much more helpful to read it together and have discussions about what the students are thinking and feeling. This would be a great book to use with older students.
I'm going to assume that everyone in this class has read this book (because we were all supposed to), so instead of summarizing I'm just going to post what I think.
I'm not really sure what I think of The Giver. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought it was a wonderful book, and I definitely had trouble putting it down. It offers a look into an alternate, yet plausible, world - kind of a children's version of 1984, in a way. The plot was interesting and the characters were realistic and very relatable. Lois Lowry's language is so perfect that we can feel exactly what it would be like to be Jonas. When he struggles with the idea of his world, we struggle too. And in that sense, I think the story is very well-written.
The only thing I think I am unsure about is the ending. I have read that Lowry left it open-ended on purpose, and I can understand that. I'm still not really sure whether I think that Jonas has finally reached his happy Elsewhere, or if he is dying in the snow, entering a dreamlike state.
The one thing that doesn't really sit well with me was Jonas and the Giver's final plan. I feel like Jonas was cheated in some way - why was it his responsibility to leave, and not the Giver's? I know that the Giver mentioned that he was too old and weak to make the trip, and would have died during the journey. Jonas could have died too, but either way those memories and feelings would have come back to the people. And Jonas has so much more life to live, it really isn't fair that he is forced to risk his life. The Giver could have left instead - and even if he had died, to me it wouldn't have mattered as much, because he is already very old and has lived a full life. Jonas seems like such a thoughtful human being that I have trouble believing that the Giver would have been able to help the community cope with the memories any better than Jonas could have. And the Giver already had his chance to help the community, and failed.
A big part of this book is that so many questions are left unanswered. And I'm sure Lowry did this on purpose. We are all meant to be questioning why things are the way they are in Jonas' world, and what things would be like if the community were different.
Because of all of these questions, The Giver is sure to inspire deep and thoughtful discussions in and out the classroom. I feel that this book would be better utilized in a classroom if it were used as a group reading or a class read-aloud book, instead of just being read individually by one or two students. It would be a great book for a student to read on his or her own, but there are so many things to discuss that it would be much more helpful to read it together and have discussions about what the students are thinking and feeling. This would be a great book to use with older students.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Coraline
Graphic Novel Adapted and Illustrated by P. Craig Russell
I read this as an optional novel last week, but since I have been reading a lot of graphic novels for class this week I thought it would be fun to read the GN adaptation of this award-winning children's novel.
... Sorry about this post. Mostly it is just a reminder to myself that I need to write something here!
Alanna: The First Adventure
My 6th grade teacher used this book as read-aloud for our class, and Tamora Pierce quickly became one of my favorite authors throughout junior high and my early high school years. This book is the first in the Song of the Lioness series. Pierce has several other series published, all of which have similar styles and themes.
Alanna of Trebond is a young girl who wishes to become a knight in the mythical land of Tortall. There's just one problem: she's a girl, and there hasn't been a female knight in the realm for over 100 years. She is to be sent to a convent, and her twin brother Alan (who wishes to become a sorcerer) is to become a knight. The two of them have very disinterested parents, so they come up with a scheme to get what they want. Alanna cuts her hair and travels to the king's palace, disguised as a boy named Alan. She becomes a page and excels at her training, but faces many challenges as she tries to keep her gender a secret.
I really love Pierce's books because they all feature mythical realms, magic, and knights... but almost all of them feature a heroine instead of the typical male characters that you would expect to see in such stories. I feel that these novels are a great way for get girls involved in a genre that is generally very male-oriented. A teacher could use this book as a class-wide reading, like mine did, and expose not only girls but also boys to the idea that you don't have to be male to be a knight.
This book is a very interesting and exciting read and will have many readers heading to the library in search of the rest of the series.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tangerine
By Edward Bloor
I picked this book because I remember it as being one of my favorites as an older child. Back then I just thought it was a fun story, but now I see it as something more. Bloor writes wonderfully, and the novel is full of realistic characters - both friendly and not. Paul Fisher, the story's protagonist, is legally blind. He must wear thick, nerdy, alien-like glasses, and has almost no peripheral vision. His poor eyesight is due to a mysterious accident that happened in his childhood, though he cannot remember the exact details. His older brother, Erik, likes to tease and tell people it's because he stared at the sun for too long, thus gracing Paul with the nickname "Eclipse Boy."
But despite Paul's literal blindness, Paul has the vision to see people in a way that most people can't. Erik is the star of the football team, and always seems to be the center of attention. Paul plays goalie on the school soccer team, and does a good job to boot - but nobody seems to notice. Similarly, nobody notices that Erik is actually a pretty disturbed person, and also a jerk. But throughout the novel Paul's memory of his mysterious accident becomes clear - and we learn the secret that Erik is actually quite threatening and dangerous. The only one who can uncover the truth is Paul. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens next.
This is just a summary in its barest forms. Along his journey toward truth Erik must face sinkholes, classism, lightning storms, angry neighborhood associations, flash frosts, underground fires, and a slew of other unsuspected things. Bloor's novel is surprisingly thoughtful and offers multiple meanings for almost everything that happens in the plot. If you're looking for a children's book that is equally thrilling, mysterious, and thought-provoking, then this is the book for you.
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