Fall 2007
My students and I just spent the whole semester reading and talking about adolescent literature. Although we drew on the voices of real adolescent readers, the discussion was definitely conducted from an adult perspective. To get the views of adolescent readers, I asked my student to generate a list of “kid approved” books. The books come recommended by students, family members, friends and others who are adolescents determined by age (leaving out those of us who might be adolescent by mind-set). Many of these books are here because (to quote various kids) they are "awesome, not boring, realistic, emotional, hopeful, funny, cultural, sickening (but ok), contain great heroes, good plots, and are encouraging."
Individual Books
Al Capone Does My Shirts (Gennifer Choldenko)
Among the Hidden (Margaret Haddix)
Because of Winn-Dixie (Kate DiCamillo)
Bone by Bone by Bone (Tony Johnston)
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney)
Diary of Anne Frank
Hatchet (Gary Paulson)
Holes (Louis Sachar)
Hoops (Walter Dean Myers)
How it Happened in Peach Hill (Marthe Jocelyn)
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (Bette Bao Lord and Marc Simont)
Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)
The Misfits (James Howe)
My Brother Sam Is Dead
Number the Stars (Lois Lowry)
The Outsiders (SE Hinton)
The River (Gary Paulson)
Shiloh (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor)
The Skin I'm In (Sharon Flake)
Slam! (Walter Dean Myers)
Summerland (Michael Chabon)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume)
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood (Ibtisam Barakat)
TTYL (Lauren Myracle)
Tuck Everlasting (Natalie Babbitt)
The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963 (Christopher Paul Curtis)
Series
American Girls
Artemis Fowl (by Eoin Colfe)
The Chronicles of Narnia (by CS Lewis)
The Clique Series (Lisi Harrison)
Goosebumps (by R.L. Stine)
Gossip Girls (Cecily von Ziegesar)
The Hardy Boys
Harry Potter (by J.K. Rowling)
Lord of the Rings (by JRR Tolkien)
Nancy Drew
A Series of Unfortunate Events (by Daniel Handler)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (by Ann Brashares)
Star Wars
The Twilight Saga (Stephenie Meyers)
Uglies (by Scott Westerfield)
Authors
Avi
Judy Blume
Meg Cabot
Matt Christopher (esp. books about sports)
Beverly Cleary (Ramona books for the girls, The Mouse and the Motorcycle for boys)
Andrew Clements
Caroline B. Cooney
Katie DiCamillo
Dan Gutman
O. Henry (esp. "A Retrieved Reformation" & "After 20 Years")
Stephen King
Lois Lowry
Lurlene McDaniel
Gary Paulsen
Christopher Pike
Phillip Pulman
Cynthia Rylant
Gary Soto
Jerry Spinelli
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Avril Lavigne’s Make 5 Wishes Volume 1
Starring Avril Lavigne and Created by Camilla d’Errico and Joshua Dysart
Reviewed by Tania Padron
This short graphic novel was an easy and pleasurable read. The main character Hanna, is a lonely, quit girl who longs for something exciting to happen to her. Hanna’s character is very relatable. Her parents are having marital problems and her quiet personality does not allow her to express her feeling with her parents or make friends that she can talk to. The book is geared towards kids ages 13 and up but I think even younger kids would really enjoy this graphic novel. The drawings suck you into Hanna’s life. They are colorful, imaginative and full of life.
Hanna has no friends except for her imaginary best friend Avril Lavigne. Avril’s role in the story is a sort of conscious for Hanna who is becoming desperate by her depressing home life and social situation. Hanna feels trapped in her life and longs to find some life altering solution. She takes on pretend personas to communicate to people online. She knows them but they have no idea who she really is. One day while she is online she comes across a website offering a box and five wishes. She feels a strange draw to the box and feels compelled to purchase it. The little demon inside the wish box proves to be life changing but not necessarily the solution Hanna expected.
This volume really left me wondering what would happen to Hanna at school after she had made her 4 wishes and what she would do with her last wish. Would her life change for the best or would Hanna find out that she was the only one who could change her life for the better. Would she stop hiding behind her fears and imaginary personas? Would her wishes make her life worse than it was before? Volume 1 left me hanging. Saying to myself, that’s it! I want to know what happens next.
Reviewed by Tania Padron
This short graphic novel was an easy and pleasurable read. The main character Hanna, is a lonely, quit girl who longs for something exciting to happen to her. Hanna’s character is very relatable. Her parents are having marital problems and her quiet personality does not allow her to express her feeling with her parents or make friends that she can talk to. The book is geared towards kids ages 13 and up but I think even younger kids would really enjoy this graphic novel. The drawings suck you into Hanna’s life. They are colorful, imaginative and full of life.
Hanna has no friends except for her imaginary best friend Avril Lavigne. Avril’s role in the story is a sort of conscious for Hanna who is becoming desperate by her depressing home life and social situation. Hanna feels trapped in her life and longs to find some life altering solution. She takes on pretend personas to communicate to people online. She knows them but they have no idea who she really is. One day while she is online she comes across a website offering a box and five wishes. She feels a strange draw to the box and feels compelled to purchase it. The little demon inside the wish box proves to be life changing but not necessarily the solution Hanna expected.
This volume really left me wondering what would happen to Hanna at school after she had made her 4 wishes and what she would do with her last wish. Would her life change for the best or would Hanna find out that she was the only one who could change her life for the better. Would she stop hiding behind her fears and imaginary personas? Would her wishes make her life worse than it was before? Volume 1 left me hanging. Saying to myself, that’s it! I want to know what happens next.
A Child Called "It"
by Dave Pelzer
Reviewed by Tania Padron
A Child Called “It” is a dramatic and almost unbelievable autobiographical story of Dave Pelzer’s struggle as a child in an abusive home. Dave Pelzer’s story is one of California’s most severe cases of child abuse. The book is part of a trilogy. It details Dave’s life from ages 4 to 12. The author, Dave, tells us about the horrible cruelty he endured as a child by his alcoholic mother and a father who let the abuse continue with full knowledge of it. Dave’s family loved him as a baby, toddler and small child. The turning point was never very clear but alcohol played a major role in Dave’ s mother’s dramatic character change. She turned from loving warm attentive mother to a sadistic evil woman who Dave began to refer to only as The Bitch by the end of the novel.
Dave’s mother singled him out because according to her he was a “bad boy”. She used him as a scapegoat for all of her frustrations and her alcohol triggered rages. Her hatred for him was so vile that she began to refer to him as “It.” Dave was completely excluded from his family unit. He never ate with his family as they all dinner together and was not allowed to play with his brothers. Instead he did all the household chores while his brother played. He was seen as the family’s slave and that is how he began to se himself. So far detached had his mother made him from herself and from his family that he no longer saw them as his family.
This book is filled with vivid imagery and details of Dave’s physical, mental and emotional abuse. It was very difficult for me to read his account of what happened to him. I literally had to skim some parts because of the gritty descriptions. My heart was tired from reading about such horror that was inflicted upon Dave. I could feel his emotional pain as he described his feelings of despair and his battle for survival. I felt I was living it with him and my heart reached out to him.
The fact that Dave’s mother and family early on in Dave’s childhood had loved each other was I believe the key to Dave’s ability to survive. He knew there was good in the world. He did not understand why it had been taken from him or if he would ever have love in his life once again but his hope and inner strength kept him alive for a long time.
The graphic nature of Dave’s abuse is probably why this book is controversial and not recommended for young adults. This book is more appropriate for high school and not at all for middle school students. At times it was difficult for me to read parts of the book and I imagine it could be deemed traumatic for a young adult. However, bringing light onto child abuse in such an honest way as this book does is important for our society and for students who may be dealing with abuse themselves. I would recommend if this book where to be read by high school students that a length in depth discussion follow on what students should do to reach out for help and different resources a child has to help themselves or a friend.
Reviewed by Tania Padron
A Child Called “It” is a dramatic and almost unbelievable autobiographical story of Dave Pelzer’s struggle as a child in an abusive home. Dave Pelzer’s story is one of California’s most severe cases of child abuse. The book is part of a trilogy. It details Dave’s life from ages 4 to 12. The author, Dave, tells us about the horrible cruelty he endured as a child by his alcoholic mother and a father who let the abuse continue with full knowledge of it. Dave’s family loved him as a baby, toddler and small child. The turning point was never very clear but alcohol played a major role in Dave’ s mother’s dramatic character change. She turned from loving warm attentive mother to a sadistic evil woman who Dave began to refer to only as The Bitch by the end of the novel.
Dave’s mother singled him out because according to her he was a “bad boy”. She used him as a scapegoat for all of her frustrations and her alcohol triggered rages. Her hatred for him was so vile that she began to refer to him as “It.” Dave was completely excluded from his family unit. He never ate with his family as they all dinner together and was not allowed to play with his brothers. Instead he did all the household chores while his brother played. He was seen as the family’s slave and that is how he began to se himself. So far detached had his mother made him from herself and from his family that he no longer saw them as his family.
This book is filled with vivid imagery and details of Dave’s physical, mental and emotional abuse. It was very difficult for me to read his account of what happened to him. I literally had to skim some parts because of the gritty descriptions. My heart was tired from reading about such horror that was inflicted upon Dave. I could feel his emotional pain as he described his feelings of despair and his battle for survival. I felt I was living it with him and my heart reached out to him.
The fact that Dave’s mother and family early on in Dave’s childhood had loved each other was I believe the key to Dave’s ability to survive. He knew there was good in the world. He did not understand why it had been taken from him or if he would ever have love in his life once again but his hope and inner strength kept him alive for a long time.
The graphic nature of Dave’s abuse is probably why this book is controversial and not recommended for young adults. This book is more appropriate for high school and not at all for middle school students. At times it was difficult for me to read parts of the book and I imagine it could be deemed traumatic for a young adult. However, bringing light onto child abuse in such an honest way as this book does is important for our society and for students who may be dealing with abuse themselves. I would recommend if this book where to be read by high school students that a length in depth discussion follow on what students should do to reach out for help and different resources a child has to help themselves or a friend.
The Breadwinner
by Deborah Ellis
Reviewed by Tania Padron
This book is an exciting and sorrowful tale of an educated Afghan family confined to live under the strict Taliban regime in their war torn country of Afghanistan where people live with despair, fear and death all around them. Afghanistan has been at war since 1978. First the Soviets tried to take over the country and were pushed out by the Afghani troops, since then the Afghani people have been living in and dying because of a civil war that continues to this day.
The stories main character, Parvana, a young girl of approximately 10 years old has the heavy burden of working to feed her family of 4, two sister, one 17 and the other younger just a child, a baby brother and her mother, after her father is taken to prison for no apparent reason. The terror ensued by the Taliban and their strict restrictions on women are portrayed in this story through the struggles Parvana and her family endure as well as the people Parvana befriends. Her family is confined to their small one room apartment for most of the time because the Taliban forbids women to be seen outside without a male escort and even then they must be completed covered from head to toe. Parvana is able to escape the restrictions on women because she is so young. After her father is taken off to prison her mother and her once physical education teacher, Mrs. Weera who comes to live with Parvana’s family, come up with the incredible idea that will allow the family to survive.
Parvana’s father was once a university professor and her mother a writer before the Taliban took their jobs away from them. Parvana could no longer go to school as she once did but, she knew how to read and write and often yearned for the days when she was just a simple child going to school and playing with friends. Now she had to be an adult. Her older brother had been killed by a land mine and she was her family’s only hope. Through her struggle to make more money to support her family Parvana is faced with some ethically and personally difficult choices. Parvana’s adventures with her once school friend bring life to her and to the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone you cares about what is going on in Afghanistan, to its people and especially to the people who think this will never affect them or anyone they know. Now more than ever this story will touch and resonate with Americans who might have thought that they and their families would never understand what it means to live the nightmare that is war.
Reviewed by Tania Padron
This book is an exciting and sorrowful tale of an educated Afghan family confined to live under the strict Taliban regime in their war torn country of Afghanistan where people live with despair, fear and death all around them. Afghanistan has been at war since 1978. First the Soviets tried to take over the country and were pushed out by the Afghani troops, since then the Afghani people have been living in and dying because of a civil war that continues to this day.
The stories main character, Parvana, a young girl of approximately 10 years old has the heavy burden of working to feed her family of 4, two sister, one 17 and the other younger just a child, a baby brother and her mother, after her father is taken to prison for no apparent reason. The terror ensued by the Taliban and their strict restrictions on women are portrayed in this story through the struggles Parvana and her family endure as well as the people Parvana befriends. Her family is confined to their small one room apartment for most of the time because the Taliban forbids women to be seen outside without a male escort and even then they must be completed covered from head to toe. Parvana is able to escape the restrictions on women because she is so young. After her father is taken off to prison her mother and her once physical education teacher, Mrs. Weera who comes to live with Parvana’s family, come up with the incredible idea that will allow the family to survive.
Parvana’s father was once a university professor and her mother a writer before the Taliban took their jobs away from them. Parvana could no longer go to school as she once did but, she knew how to read and write and often yearned for the days when she was just a simple child going to school and playing with friends. Now she had to be an adult. Her older brother had been killed by a land mine and she was her family’s only hope. Through her struggle to make more money to support her family Parvana is faced with some ethically and personally difficult choices. Parvana’s adventures with her once school friend bring life to her and to the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone you cares about what is going on in Afghanistan, to its people and especially to the people who think this will never affect them or anyone they know. Now more than ever this story will touch and resonate with Americans who might have thought that they and their families would never understand what it means to live the nightmare that is war.
Forever
by Judy Blume
Reviewed by Tania Padron
The main characters of this book, Katherine and Michael, are both high school seniors. They meet on New Years Eve at a mutual friends house and begin a flirtatious relationship, which eventually leads to a committed, honest and loving relationship. Katherine and Michael promise to love each other forever but the life ahead of them may have different plans for them. As high school seniors they will soon be going to different colleges and will be apart for long periods of time. They cherish the time that they have together before they go of to college.
As their relationship develops they explore the sexual part of their relationship. The couple talks openly about their sexual experience or lack of, they share their fears and their hopes. The characters speak graphically of their sexual encounters. They take on a responsible attitude toward their relationship and Katherine especially is proactive about her sexual education. At one point she goes to Planned Parenthood to learn about birth control and get checked out. The author portrays their sexual relationship from an idealist’s perspective. Katherine and Michael’s relationship is probably not the average teenage boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. From an adults perspective Katherine and Michael are naive. They believe they will be together forever. They are committed to each other and are very much in love until they are confronted with the strain of being apart for the summer.
The role Katherine’s parents and grandmother plays in the story is that of educators and protectors. The father seems especially overprotective when he demands that Katherine will spend the summer at sleep away camp instead of being with Michael. Katherine’s parents were not against her relationship with Michael but they did not want her reject opportunities because of her desire to be close to him. Time apart for any couple can be difficult. The time they spend apart is a test of their devotion to each other.
At camp Katherine meets a boy who tests her love for Michael. There is an attraction between them that scares and confuses her. His name is Theo. He is a senior in college and her tennis partner. When she gets news that her grandfather passed away she becomes so desperate with sadness that she acts on her desire for Theo. She kisses him. Her awakening feelings for Theo are the end for her relationship with Michael. Katherine realizes that the promise that she and Michael made to love each other forever was too much for her to handle. She is too young to commit herself to one person when she has feelings for someone else.
On the cover of the book the author poses the question, “Is there a difference between first love and true love?” The fate of Katherine and Michael’s relationship seems to answer that question for the readers. Teenage girls would absolutely relate to this love story and could live vicariously through Katherine’s experiences. I would not use this book in the classroom but I do think the story portrays a model relationship between a teenage couple that is important for young readers to be exposed to. The actions for both Katherine and Michael are responsible and heartfelt.
Reviewed by Tania Padron
The main characters of this book, Katherine and Michael, are both high school seniors. They meet on New Years Eve at a mutual friends house and begin a flirtatious relationship, which eventually leads to a committed, honest and loving relationship. Katherine and Michael promise to love each other forever but the life ahead of them may have different plans for them. As high school seniors they will soon be going to different colleges and will be apart for long periods of time. They cherish the time that they have together before they go of to college.
As their relationship develops they explore the sexual part of their relationship. The couple talks openly about their sexual experience or lack of, they share their fears and their hopes. The characters speak graphically of their sexual encounters. They take on a responsible attitude toward their relationship and Katherine especially is proactive about her sexual education. At one point she goes to Planned Parenthood to learn about birth control and get checked out. The author portrays their sexual relationship from an idealist’s perspective. Katherine and Michael’s relationship is probably not the average teenage boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. From an adults perspective Katherine and Michael are naive. They believe they will be together forever. They are committed to each other and are very much in love until they are confronted with the strain of being apart for the summer.
The role Katherine’s parents and grandmother plays in the story is that of educators and protectors. The father seems especially overprotective when he demands that Katherine will spend the summer at sleep away camp instead of being with Michael. Katherine’s parents were not against her relationship with Michael but they did not want her reject opportunities because of her desire to be close to him. Time apart for any couple can be difficult. The time they spend apart is a test of their devotion to each other.
At camp Katherine meets a boy who tests her love for Michael. There is an attraction between them that scares and confuses her. His name is Theo. He is a senior in college and her tennis partner. When she gets news that her grandfather passed away she becomes so desperate with sadness that she acts on her desire for Theo. She kisses him. Her awakening feelings for Theo are the end for her relationship with Michael. Katherine realizes that the promise that she and Michael made to love each other forever was too much for her to handle. She is too young to commit herself to one person when she has feelings for someone else.
On the cover of the book the author poses the question, “Is there a difference between first love and true love?” The fate of Katherine and Michael’s relationship seems to answer that question for the readers. Teenage girls would absolutely relate to this love story and could live vicariously through Katherine’s experiences. I would not use this book in the classroom but I do think the story portrays a model relationship between a teenage couple that is important for young readers to be exposed to. The actions for both Katherine and Michael are responsible and heartfelt.
A Rose by Any Other Name
by Madonna
Review By: Melissa Paparozzi
The popular genre book I read was called A Rose by Any Other Name, and it is one out of four books in the English Roses series by Madonna. One of my sixth grade students recommended this book to me, and I though it would be appropriate because she told me that she had read the entire series, and several of her friends and classmates had read the series as well. I thought it was really interesting that this series was written by the pop singer and actress, Madonna. When I brought this up to the girl who let me borrow the book, she did not seem to know exactly who Madonna was. She likes the series for its girly slang and “cool” pictures. However, if this book came out when I was in sixth grade, I bet it would be popular regardless of how good it was because Madonna wrote it!
The novel is about a group of five sixth grade girls who are all best friends. They do everything together from walking to school to after school sleepovers and study dates. Each girl has their own unique traits about them. When it comes time for the sixth grade school play, all the girls want to be involved. The only girl who does not want to join in the school play is Grace, the athlete of the group. Grace would rather be outside playing sports than inside doing theatre-related activities. The other girls give Grace a hard time about not trying out for the play, and when it is time for tryouts Grace decided to get up and audition. When she got on stage she blew away the audience and landed herself the lead role in the play. The only problem was that one of her best friends, Charlotte, had her heart set on the lead role. Charlotte gets jealous at first, but eventually decided that friendship should come first, and she agrees to prep Grace for her role. On the opening night of the play, Grace fakes an injury so that her best friend and understudy, Charlotte, can play the lead role. Charlotte gets to shine as Juliet in the school play, and the girls’ friendship remains strong as ever.
This book is not exactly an instructor’s dream teaching novel, but I don’t think it was meant to be. I would not put this book in my curriculum or even in my classroom library, but I would recommend it word-of-mouth to any of my female students looking for a quick and fun read. I can appreciate this book for its leisure value, and I think it is okay to read things “just for fun.” Also, the theme of friendship that resonates throughout the entire novel is something that many adolescent girls could learn from. Adolescence is a time in life when kids start having major conflicts with their friends. Hence, I think that any late elementary or early middle school student could learn a lot about friendship and have some fun while reading this book.
Review By: Melissa Paparozzi
The popular genre book I read was called A Rose by Any Other Name, and it is one out of four books in the English Roses series by Madonna. One of my sixth grade students recommended this book to me, and I though it would be appropriate because she told me that she had read the entire series, and several of her friends and classmates had read the series as well. I thought it was really interesting that this series was written by the pop singer and actress, Madonna. When I brought this up to the girl who let me borrow the book, she did not seem to know exactly who Madonna was. She likes the series for its girly slang and “cool” pictures. However, if this book came out when I was in sixth grade, I bet it would be popular regardless of how good it was because Madonna wrote it!
The novel is about a group of five sixth grade girls who are all best friends. They do everything together from walking to school to after school sleepovers and study dates. Each girl has their own unique traits about them. When it comes time for the sixth grade school play, all the girls want to be involved. The only girl who does not want to join in the school play is Grace, the athlete of the group. Grace would rather be outside playing sports than inside doing theatre-related activities. The other girls give Grace a hard time about not trying out for the play, and when it is time for tryouts Grace decided to get up and audition. When she got on stage she blew away the audience and landed herself the lead role in the play. The only problem was that one of her best friends, Charlotte, had her heart set on the lead role. Charlotte gets jealous at first, but eventually decided that friendship should come first, and she agrees to prep Grace for her role. On the opening night of the play, Grace fakes an injury so that her best friend and understudy, Charlotte, can play the lead role. Charlotte gets to shine as Juliet in the school play, and the girls’ friendship remains strong as ever.
This book is not exactly an instructor’s dream teaching novel, but I don’t think it was meant to be. I would not put this book in my curriculum or even in my classroom library, but I would recommend it word-of-mouth to any of my female students looking for a quick and fun read. I can appreciate this book for its leisure value, and I think it is okay to read things “just for fun.” Also, the theme of friendship that resonates throughout the entire novel is something that many adolescent girls could learn from. Adolescence is a time in life when kids start having major conflicts with their friends. Hence, I think that any late elementary or early middle school student could learn a lot about friendship and have some fun while reading this book.
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
by Art Spiegleman
Reviewed by Melissa Paparozzi
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegleman, is a compelling graphic novel about the family of a Holocaust survivor. Maus is a memoir, and it switches back and forth between the past and the present. When the reader is taken into the past, we learn about the struggles of Art Spiegleman’s father, Vladek, who lived in Poland before and during the Holocaust. Vladek eventually wound up as a prisoner at Auschwitz. When the story is in the present, we learn about some of the effects the Holocaust had on the Spiegleman family that have lasted for decades. For example, Art finds it hard to have a relationship with his stubborn and, ironically, racially prejudiced father. Also, Art’s father had a difficult relationship with his wife, Anja, who ended up killing herself.
The most interesting part of this novel is that it is graphic and the characters are animals. Not only is this a great effect to look at, but the characters have symbolic value as well. The Germans are portrayed as cats, the Jews are portrayed as Mice, the Americans are portrayed as dogs, the Polish people are portrayed as pigs, and the British are portrayed as fish. All of these animals correlate with character traits that the author is trying to convey. He uses the obvious cat and mouse characterization to convey the relationship that the Germans had as predators to the Jews. The author used dogs to characterize the Americans in a positive light, as dogs can represent friendliness and loyalty. The Polish people portrayed as pigs probably has a negative connotation, as pigs are usually thought of as dirty and brutal. Portraying the British as fish could represent the fact the England is an island. All of this personification and symbolism make for an extremely interesting read.
Furthermore, this graphic novel would be great for using in an eighth grade classroom. Students at this age are old enough to deal with the difficult subject matter, and they could learn a lot from all of the different literary devices. Teachers could use this novel in correlation with lessons on symbolism, personification, flashback, narrators, and connections to the history classroom. I think it would be best to teach this book as a read aloud or readers’ theatre because if it is read in class the teacher can really point out the graphics that symbolize different things. Also, students might get excited about doing a reader’s theatre because they can act like animals and people at the same time. This would be both fun and challenging for them. Overall, Maus is an excellent novel for teaching literacy concepts and history as well.
Reviewed by Melissa Paparozzi
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegleman, is a compelling graphic novel about the family of a Holocaust survivor. Maus is a memoir, and it switches back and forth between the past and the present. When the reader is taken into the past, we learn about the struggles of Art Spiegleman’s father, Vladek, who lived in Poland before and during the Holocaust. Vladek eventually wound up as a prisoner at Auschwitz. When the story is in the present, we learn about some of the effects the Holocaust had on the Spiegleman family that have lasted for decades. For example, Art finds it hard to have a relationship with his stubborn and, ironically, racially prejudiced father. Also, Art’s father had a difficult relationship with his wife, Anja, who ended up killing herself.
The most interesting part of this novel is that it is graphic and the characters are animals. Not only is this a great effect to look at, but the characters have symbolic value as well. The Germans are portrayed as cats, the Jews are portrayed as Mice, the Americans are portrayed as dogs, the Polish people are portrayed as pigs, and the British are portrayed as fish. All of these animals correlate with character traits that the author is trying to convey. He uses the obvious cat and mouse characterization to convey the relationship that the Germans had as predators to the Jews. The author used dogs to characterize the Americans in a positive light, as dogs can represent friendliness and loyalty. The Polish people portrayed as pigs probably has a negative connotation, as pigs are usually thought of as dirty and brutal. Portraying the British as fish could represent the fact the England is an island. All of this personification and symbolism make for an extremely interesting read.
Furthermore, this graphic novel would be great for using in an eighth grade classroom. Students at this age are old enough to deal with the difficult subject matter, and they could learn a lot from all of the different literary devices. Teachers could use this novel in correlation with lessons on symbolism, personification, flashback, narrators, and connections to the history classroom. I think it would be best to teach this book as a read aloud or readers’ theatre because if it is read in class the teacher can really point out the graphics that symbolize different things. Also, students might get excited about doing a reader’s theatre because they can act like animals and people at the same time. This would be both fun and challenging for them. Overall, Maus is an excellent novel for teaching literacy concepts and history as well.
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