Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN: 0-316-01369-7

Pages: 230

Summary:

Junior, a teenage boy describes his struggle growing up as a poor Indian, trapped on the Spokane Indian Reservation through cartoons and blunt humor. When urged to “get out”, Junior makes one of the most important decisions of his life and decides to cross boundaries literally and figuratively. He transfers to the rich, white high school of Reardan, the “neighboring” town 22 miles away. Caught between two worlds, and disliked by both, Junior finds strength within himself to prove he is capable of overcoming adversity and blurring boundary lines. 

Analysis:

Based on Sherman Alexie’s childhood, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian humorously portrays the struggle of one boy as he faces physical, mental and emotional challenges during his freshman year of high school. Alexie’s brilliant diary format and Ellen Forney’s interesting cartoons create an almost movie-like picture in the reader’s mind. This engaging text includes possibly objectionable language and sexual content which has caused it to be on the American Library Association’s Banned and Challenged Books List twice since its 2007 publication. The frank language and sexual content are not out of context but hold true to the narration of an adolescent boy’s point of view, although some readers and censors might find it questionable. Overall, the book brings to light an interesting commentary on the segregation of minority groups and the struggles adolescents find when they are “torn” between two worlds, a theme many young students can relate to. Through Sherman Alexie’s first-person narrative Junior provides a shining example of a “real” kid trying to make life work through adversity, which has readers falling in love with him.

Rapunzel's Revenge

Bibliography:

Hale, Shannon & Dean Hale. 2008. Ill. Nathan Hale. Rapunzel's Revenge. New York: Bloomsbury. 
ISBN: 978-1-59990-070-4

Summary:

Growing up in a lavish, lush estate surrounded by a massive wall, Rapunzel, a precocious child cannot ignore the itch to see the world from the other side of the wall. What she finds changes her world forever, launching her on a quest to right wrongs and find the family she's always longed for.

Analysis:

Duo Shannon and Dean Hale team up with Nathan Hale (no relation) to create a new twist on Rapunzel's traditional tale, told through a graphic novel. Always a heroine, Rapunzel uses her know-how and her immediate resources to defeat her tree prison, wild boars, bandits, a harsh climate and the oppressive powers that be. Finding friends along the way, Rapunzell learns how strong she really is, building a family of her own along the way.

Nathan Hale's illustrations depict Rapunzel as she grows from a young girl to a confident, capable young woman. Nathan's interpretation combined with Shannon and Dean's witty dialogue creates an engaging tale of adventure, action and retribution told in an uproaringly funny way.

Reviews:

"With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody."-Publisher's Weekly, STARRED REVIEW (from www.squeetus.com)

"The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after."-School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW (from www.squeetus.com)

"Readers familiar with graphic novels will feel at home...Newbies may not realize how particularly well-matched the Hales' gutsy tale is to its format, but this introduction--with its high action quotient, immediate sensory thrills, and wisecracking heroes--should win many converts. With such a successful debut, one hopes to see more graphic novels from this trio."-Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW (from www.squeetus.com)
 

"A dash of typical fairy-tale romance, a strong sense of social justice and a spunky heroine make this a standout choice for younger teens."-Kirkus Reviews (from www.squeetus.com)
 

"Rich with humor and excitement, Rapunzel's Revenge is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers."-Booklist (from www.squeetus.com)

Awards:

An ALA 2009 Notable Children's Book

A YALSA 2009 Great Graphic Novel for Teens 

An Eisner Award nominee

A Cybil Award winner 

Connections:

• Browse Shannon Hale's official website www.squeetus.com for author comments, reviews and other titles
• Perform Reader's Theater script of Rapunzel's Revenge (from www.squeetus.com)
• Create own fractured traditional tales with alternate settings and mixed story lines; create graphics to accompany dialogue and plot publishing a graphic novel or picture book rendition to share with the class 

The Graveyard Book

Bibliography:

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. Ill. Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

ISBN: 978-0-06-053092-1

Summary:

Nobody Owens, born to a family tragically killed by a evil mysterious Jack-of-all-trades finds refuge and family in the town graveyard. Granted "Freedom of the Graveyard", Bod is raised and educated by the residents of the graveyard on a hill, always confined to it's boundaries until he breaks through into the outside world, leading the sinister Jack back to the graveyard in an effort to finish the job he once started, leaving Bod to fight for his life and his freedom.

Analysis:

Neil Gaiman's low fantasy ghost story stars Nobody Owens, Bod for short, an average boy growing up in an anything but average environment. Rescued from the clutches of death by dead graveyard residents, Bod is brought up and educated by ghosts, ghouls, a witch and a being that is neither living nor dead. Emmersed in a fantastical world, Bod's safety is a universal tale of adolescence, finding oneself and truly learning the value of family and friends.

Gaiman's vivid language puts the reader in the graveyard, letting them see "the abandoned funeral chapel, iron doors padlocked, ivy on the sides of the spire, a small tree growing out of the guttering at roof level" (pg. 12). Paired with Dave McKean's gray scale illustrations, the book engages the reader in Bod's adventures while also creating a darker tone that contrasts nicely with Bod's childish innocence and naviety.

Reviews:

“Wistful, witty, wise—and creepy. This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.” — Kirkus Reviews (Starred review) from www.mousecircus.com

“An utterly captivating tale…this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages. ” — Booklist (Starred Review) from www.mousecircus.com

“Gaiman writes with charm and humor, and again he has a real winner.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review) from www.mousecircus.com

Awards:

Newbery Medal

Carnegie Medal

Hugo Award

Locus Award

Connections:

• Compare Bod's tale with that of Mowgli from Rudyard Kipling's classic book set, The Jungle Book
• Read other works by Neil Gaiman: 
• Coraline (2003)
• M is for Magic (2007)
• Stardust (2001)
• Visit Gaiman's website www.mousecircus.com and browse videos, excerpts, games, etc.

Speak

Bibliography:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. New York: Penguin Group.

ISBN: 0-14-240732-1 

Summary:

Melinda Sordino begins high school with a secret and a reputation as a tattle-tale. Without supportive family or friends, Melinda lives within herself, capturing moments and people within her mind until it all comes rushing out.

Analysis:

Melinda's voice is heard through her thoughts and actions during her first year of high school in Laurie Halse Anderson's touching contemporary realistic fiction novel Speak. The protagonist, Melinda, is a likeable character battling internal and external forces for control of her own voice. Faced with common and uncommon occurences including the "climax of mating season...the Senior Prom" (pg. 176) and the place "where they film daily segments of Teenage Humiliation Rituals" (pg. 104) the cafeteria, Melinda finds herself amongst the masses, just like many students in schools feel around the world. Anderson's authentic language captures the character's es

sence and creates compeling scenes and natural dialogue (both internal and external). Set in any high school across the nation, the text is easily relatable with the central message of finding one's identity or one's voice amidst thousands of other voices. Anderson achieves perfection with Melinda's controversial story that will make the reader laugh, cry, scream, kick and smile all at the same time. 

Reviews:

"A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today’s headlines. At the end of the summer before she enters high school, Melinda attends a party at which two bad things happen to her. She gets drunk, and she is raped. Shocked and scared, she calls the police, who break up the party and send everyone home. She tells no one of her rape, and the other students, even her best friends, turn against her for ruining their good time. By the time school starts, she is completely alone, and utterly desolate. She withdraws more and more into herself, rarely talking, cutting classes, ignoring assignments, and becoming more estranged daily from the world around her. Few people penetrate her shell; one of them is Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, who works with her to help her express what she has so deeply repressed. When the unthinkable happens—the same upperclassman who raped her at the party attacks her again something within the new Melinda says no, and in repelling her attacker, she becomes whole again. The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget." - Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 1999

"Speaking out at the "wrong" time-calling 911 from a teen drinking party-has made Melinda a social outcast; now she barely speaks at all. A conversation with her father about their failed Thanksgiving dinner goes as follows: "Dad: 'It's supposed to be soup.' / Me: / Dad: 'It tasted a bit watery, so I kept adding thickener....'/ Me: ." While Melinda's smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the high-school experience cold-from "The First Ten Lies They Tell You" (number eight: "Your schedule was created with your needs in mind") to cliques and clans and the worst and best in teachers. The book is structurally divided into four marking periods, over which Melinda's grades decline severely and she loses the only friend she has left, a perky new girl she doesn't even like. Melinda's nightmare discloses itself in bits throughout the story: a frightening encounter at school ("I see IT in the hallway....IT sees me. IT smiles and winks"), an artwork that speaks pain. Melinda aches to tell her story, and well after readers have deduced the sexual assault, we feel her choking on her untold secret. By springtime, while Melinda studies germination in Biology and Hawthorne's symbolism in English, and seeds are becoming "restless" underground, her nightmare pushes itself inexorably to the surface. When her ex-best-friend starts dating the "Beast," Melinda can no longer remain silent. A physical confrontation with her attacker is dramatically charged and not entirely in keeping with the tone of the rest of the novel, but is satisfying nonetheless, as Melinda wields a shard of broken glass and finds her voice at last to scream, "No!" Melinda's distinctive narrative employs imagery that is as unexpected as it is acute: "April is humid....A warm, moldy washcloth of a month." Though her character is her own and not entirely mute like the protagonist of John Marsden's So Much to Tell You, readers familiar with both books will be impelled to compare the two girls made silent by a tragic incident. The final words of Marsden's books are echoed in those of Speak, as Melinda prepares to share her experience with a father-figure art teacher: "Me: 'Let me tell you about it.'" An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last." - Horn Book (from www.barnesandnoble.com) 

Awards:

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

IRA Young Adult Choice

Michael L. Printz Honor Book (American Library Association)

Connections:

• Read Speak's Platinum Edition Bonus Material with author interview and commentary
• Write to Laurie Halse Anderson on her website www.writerlady.com with additional questions and comments
• View Speak movie and discuss differences/similarities between formats
• Write about Sophomore year at Melinda's high school from the perspective of a main character
• Discuss book themes and personal connections to story - include artistic response activity where students depict their thoughts/feelings about the book through any artistic medium (when presenting project, make sure to ask Why? they chose that medium)

Hattie Big Sky

Bibliography:

Larson, Kirby. 2006. Hattie Big Sky. New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN: 0-385-73313-5

Summary:

Previously Hattie Here-and-There, bounced between family members without a home to call her own, Hattie Brooks gathers the courage to begin a life of her own out in the wilds of Montana. She braves harsh weather, disease, social instability and hard times pushing on because of her relentless attitude as well as a little help from her supportive neighbors. Fighting against the clock, Hattie bets it all on the farm, striving to become a homesteader while realizing the true meaning of family and home.

Analysis:

Written from a first-person point of view through letters, newsclippings and narrative, author Kirby Larson introduces readers to her own family's history during the first World War. Mixing factual events like her great-grandmother's honyocker adventure with fictional characters, Larson provides readers with an intriguing look into the homesteading days and the culture during a war-time era. 

Hattie's innocence, determination and sweet demeanor create a likeable  character who incites readers to cheer for her. Reader's enjoy the easy comedy Larson writes into the story, laughing with Rooster Jim's description of Hattie's circular plowing as well as Hattie's attempts at cooking. Larson's language creates an extremely readable text that evokes reader's emotions; they laugh, cry, feel triumph, anger, pain, love and happiness right along with Hattie.


Reviews:

"What dreams would lead a 16-year-old to leave her safe home in Arlington, Iowa, and take a chance on a homestead claim in Montana? Hattie Brooks, an orphan, is tired of being shuttled between relatives, tired of being Hattie Here-and-There and the feeling of being the “one odd sock behind.” So when Uncle Chester leaves her his Montana homestead claim, she jumps at the chance for independence. It’s 1918, so this is homesteading in the days of Model Ts rather than covered wagons, a time of world war, Spanish influenza and anti-German sentiment turning nasty in small-town America. Hattie’s first-person narrative is a deft mix of her own accounts of managing her claim, letters to and from her friend Charlie, who is off at war, newspaper columns she writes and even a couple of recipes. Based on a bit of Larson’s family history, this is not so much a happily-ever-after story as a next-year-will-be-better tale, with Hattie’s new-found definition of home. This fine offering may well inspire readers to find out more about their own family histories." - Kirkus Reviews, 2006

"Larson relates a heartwarming yet poignant story about homesteading in early-20th-century Montana. Until the age of 16, orphan Hattie Brooks lived with whichever relative needed extra household help. Then she receives a letter telling her of an inheritance from her Uncle Chester, whom she had never met. Hattie is to receive his land claim, the house and its contents, one horse, and one cow. When she arrives from Iowa, she learns that she has 10 months to cultivate 40 acres and set 480 rods of fence, or lose the claim. While the story relates the hardships of frontier life and how Hattie "proved up" to the challenge, it also tells of World War I bigotry and discrimination toward German Americans. Hattie's sense of humor, determination, and optimism come through in her letters to her friend Charlie, who is serving in the military in France, and through letters to her Uncle Holt, which are published in his hometown newspaper. Larson's vivid descriptions of the harshness of the work and the extreme climates, and the strength that comes from true friendship, create a masterful picture of the homesteading experience and the people who persevered. Hattie's courage and fortitude are a tribute to them." - School Library Journal (from www.kirbylarson.com)

 "In this engaging historical novel set in 1918, 16-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks leaves Iowa and travels to a Montana homestead inherited from her uncle. In the beautiful but harsh setting, she has less than a year to fence and cultivate the land in order to keep it. Neighbors who welcome Hattie help heal the hurt she has suffered from years of feeling unwanted. Chapters open with short articles that Hattie writes for an Iowa newspaper or her lively letters to a friend and possible beau who is in the military in France. The authentic first-person narrative, full of hope and anxiety, effectively portrays Hattie's struggles as a young woman with limited options, a homesteader facing terrible odds, and a loyal citizen confused about the war and the local anti-German bias that endangers her new friends. Larson, whose great-grandmother homesteaded alone in Montana, read dozens of homesteaders' journals and based scenes in the book on real events. Writing in figurative language that draws on nature and domestic detail to infuse her story with the sounds, smells, and sights of the prairie, she creates a richly textured novel full of memorable characters." - Booklist (from www.kirbylarson.com)

Awards:


2007 Newbery Honor Book
2006 Montana Book Award


Connections:

• Explore Hattie Big Sky website, listening to podcasts and reading blogs from author Kirby Larson
• Research honyockers and the homesteading movement of the early 1900s
• Group discussion of social attitudes during wartime, comparing past with the present (i.e. changing sauerkraut to "liberty cabbage" vs. french fries to "freedom fries"

Lily's Crossing

Bibliography:

Giff, Patricia Reilly. 1997. Lily's Crossing. New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN: 0-385-32142-2

Summary:

Lily Mollahan, a young girl gifted with a silver tongue looks forward to an exciting summer at her family's beach house in Rockaway on the Atlantic Ocean. The summer quickly turns dismal as World War II destroys Lily's plans, forcing her best friend to move away and her father to be shipped off overseas to help rebuild a war-torn country. Always fearing for her father's safety, Lily is distracted when Albert, a Hungarian refugee comes to visit "family". Their friendship blooms as they learn each other's secrets and as they learn more about themselves.

Analysis:

Lily is introduced as a "last-row, last-seat kid in school with terrible marks in everything" who "told lies every other minute" (pg. 18). The reader automatically finds Lily to be a real character, with a genuine imagination as well as genuine concerns and fears. Her family situation is relatable, being raised by a single parent with help from grandparents, trying to find her own voice.

Author, Patricia Reilly Giff's writing style is easy to read and could easily be read aloud, leading listeners through Lily's adventures, as she learns how to deal with loss and her eyes are opened to other people's thoughts, reactions and feelings. The coming-of-age theme is timeless but finds a comfortable spot with Lily during her 1944 summer in Rockaway. Readers are drawn into Lily's lively, sometimes embarassing struggle with maturity through Patricia Reilly Giff's memories of her own summers at Rockaway Beach watching steam ships head out of port destined for Europe, for war.

Reviews:


"Details . . . are woven with great effect into a realistic story of ordinary people who must cope with events beyond their comprehension." --Starred, The Horn Book Magazine (from http://www.randomhouse.com/features/patriciareillygiff/books.htm)

"Set during World War II, this tenderly written story tells of the war's impact on two children, one an American and one a Hungarian refugee. Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice." --School Library Journal (from http://www.randomhouse.com/features/patriciareillygiff/books.htm)

Awards:

Newbery Honor Winner

ALA Notable Book

"Boston Globe-Horn Book" Honor Book

Connections:

• Research Rockaway Beach and the steam ships that took soldiers overseas; map/chart the journey
• Start a journal like Lily, describing your thoughts, feelings and events that happen in your life
• Group discussion about saying goodbye: how it feels, personal experiences and connections with the text

The Green Glass Sea

Bibliography:

Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Viking.
ISBN: 978-0-670-06134-1

Summary:

Dewey Kerrigan, a resilient and mechanically-minded eleven year old has lost much of her family, her mother left when she was very young and just recently her grandmother had a stroke so she is shipped off to reconnect with her father in a place that doesn't exist to outsiders. Struggling with always feeling like an outsider herself, Dewey enjoys spending time with and learning from her father until a tragic accident takes him away from her, leaving her feeling abandoned and struggling to fit into a family she was not made for. Dewey learns about life, love, family and "gadgets" amidst an internal and external world of turmoil.

Analysis:

Ellen Klages brings to life an alternate aspect of the mid-1940s; a young girl's perspective surrounding the development of "the gadget" that would bring the war to an end. Chronologically authentic, Klages mixes factual people and circumstances with fictitious characters to create an interesting account of life during a time of crisis on "the Hill" a secluded and secret government facility containing some of the most brilliant minds of the times. While many readers may struggle with understanding the full magnitude of the "gadget", they will connect with Dewey as she strives to deal with normal adolescent growing pains while being completely secluded in a limited population environment. Klages' vivid style of writing paints a clear picture of Dewey, who is "small for her age, thin and wiry, with dark unruly hair and big front teeth" (pg. 1). This type of imagery continues throughout the story, adding to it's appeal and leaving the readers questioning until the end what exactly is the green glass sea? The coke bottles that consistently make an appearance in the lives of the residents of the Hill? During a time of struggle, both inward and out, Klages provides readers with a message of love, hope and friendship that leaves readers wanting more.

Reviews:

"Klages makes an impressive debut with an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII. Writing from the points of view of two displaced children, she successfully recreates life at Los Alamos Camp, where scientists and mathematicians converge with their families to construct and test the first nuclear bomb. Eleven-year-old Dewey, the daughter of a math professor, is shunned by the other girls at the camp due to her passionate interest in mechanics and her fascination with the dump, which holds all sorts of mechanisms and tools she can use for her projects. Her classmate Suze is also often snubbed and has been nicknamed "Truck" by her classmates ("'cause she's kind of big and likes to push people around," explains one boy). The two outcasts reluctantly come together when Dewey's father is called away to Washington, D.C., and Dewey temporarily moves in with Suze's family. Although the girls do not get along at first (Suze draws a chalk line in her room to separate their personal spaces), they gradually learn to rely on each other for comfort, support and companionship. Details about the era-popular music, pastimes and products-add authenticity to the story as do brief appearances of some historic figures including Robert Oppenheimer....the author provides much insight into the controversies surrounding the making of the bomb and brings to life the tensions of war experienced by adults and children alike." - Publisher's Weekly, starred review (from http://ellenklages.com)

"Dewey, ten, embarks alone on a mysterious train trip from her grandmother's home in St. Louis to New Mexico, where she will rejoin her often-absent mathematician father. It's 1943, and Dewey's dad is working at Los Alamos -- "the Hill" -- with hundreds of other scientists and their families. Klages evokes both the big-sky landscape of the Southwest and a community where "everything is secret" with inviting ease and the right details, focusing particularly on the society of the children who live there. Dewey seems comfortable with her own oddness (she's small for her age, slightly lame, and loves inventing mechanical gizmos) and serves as something of an example to another girl, Suze, who has been trying desperately to fit in. Their burgeoning friendship sees them through bouts of taunting, their parents' ceaseless attention to "the gadget," personal tragedy, and of course the test detonation early on July 16, 1945, which the two girls watch from a mesa two hundred miles away: "Dewey could see the colors and patterns of blankets and shirts that had been indistinct grays a second before, as if it were instantly morning, as if the sun had risen in the south, just this once." Cameo appearances are made by such famous names as Richard Feynman (he helps Dewey build a radio) and Robert Oppenheimer, but the story, an intense but accessible page-turner, firmly belongs to the girls and their families; history and story are drawn together with confidence." - The Horn Book, starred review (from http://ellenklages.com)

"The characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes." - Booklist (from http://ellenklages.com)

Awards: 

2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
2007 Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature
2007 New Mexico State Book Award (YA)

Connections: 

• Utilizing information from the author's note, map a time line of Los Alamos' development of the Atomic Bomb
• Research how the Atomic Bomb was used and write a response from one of the character's perspectives
• Science extension-research exactly how glass was created from sand
• Group discussion about the effects of war from Dewey's era compared to today's generation; How have things changed? How are they the same?
• Read sequel by Ellen Klages, White Sands, Red Menace (ISBN: 978-067-006235-5)