Here are links to other sites.
Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Home page, listserv and archives
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/default.asp
Bibliography of Books for Middle and High-School Age Students
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailLists.asp?idBookListCat=4
Cynthia Leitich Smith's Children's & Young Adult Literature Resources
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/cyalr_index.html
Frank Roger’s General Children’s Literature Resource
Home Page
http://frankrogers.home.mindspring.com/general.html
Multicultural Children’s Literature
http://frankrogers.home.mindspring.com/multi.html
Vandergrift’s Young Adult Literature Page
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/YoungAdult/index.html
Young Adult Library Services Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalsa.htm
Thursday, April 5, 2007
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Student Review
Overview: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a story about a 15-year-old boy named Christopher with autism. The book is written as if Christopher is writing his own book about a mystery he is trying to solve. This allows the reader to step into the shoes of an adolescent with autism and see life through his unique perspective.
Christopher knows every prime number up to 7,057, as well as every country and its capital city. He doesn’t like anything that is yellow or brown and he hates to have furniture moved out of its place. Christopher lives with his father because his mother died two years earlier of a heart attack. He does not like to be touched or hugged so his father holds up his hand and spreads his fingers out like a fan. When his father does this, Christopher holds up his hand and they let their fingers touch to show they love each other.
The book begins with Christopher discovering that Wellington, a dog who belongs to their neighbor Mrs. Shears, has been murdered. Against his father’s wishes, he decides to investigate the murder of Wellington. While talking to a neighbor named Mrs. Alexander, he discovers some unexpected information about his mother and Mr. Shears. Christopher then finds hidden letters written to him from his mother and this discovery convinces him that his father can no longer be trusted because his father has lied. Christopher leaves home with his pet rat Toby on a scary adventure into an unfamiliar world filled with unfriendly people.
Comments: This book raised controversy in January of this year in Galveston, Texas. All citizens, teens to seniors were originally encouraged to read it for the “Galveston County Reads Day,” but the mayor later retracted it, saying that he didn’t recommend it for the younger readers. A member of the City Council took it a step further, saying that the ‘F’ word appeared on page 4 and that “later in the book, the [lead character] says there is no God and there is no life after death. Clearly these are not ideas we should promote to kids.” The City Council member also said, “We should give [children] wings, but they should be smaller when they are young. This is too much, too soon.”
Last year, I worked as a shadow aide for a boy diagnosed with PDD,NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified – an autistic-like diagnosis) and the teacher of his class recommended that I read this book. I couldn’t believe how much it helped me in my work with this young boy and I would strongly recommend it to all teachers. When I read it again for this class, I thought it would also be a great read for adolescents, 12-years-old and older.
This book gave me an incredible perspective of how children with autism think, and why they act the way they do. It was fascinating to get to know Christopher and try to understand the way in which his brain worked and operated on a daily basis.
As teachers and future teachers, we will all be in the situation to teach a child with special needs at some point during our careers. Our typical students may have an even harder time understanding some of the behavior of a child with autism and may benefit even more from reading this book. I think it would be a good book to read within a class to create awareness of some of the pervasive developmental disorders that are becoming more common. After reading this book, I realized how often most people use common expressions, or figures of speech that are very confusing to people like Christopher. When someone says, “it’s raining cats and dogs,” a child with autism can only interpret this in a literal way. Christopher interpreted these kinds of expressions or metaphors as lies because it was difficult for him to say anything that wasn’t the truth.
Overview: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a story about a 15-year-old boy named Christopher with autism. The book is written as if Christopher is writing his own book about a mystery he is trying to solve. This allows the reader to step into the shoes of an adolescent with autism and see life through his unique perspective.
Christopher knows every prime number up to 7,057, as well as every country and its capital city. He doesn’t like anything that is yellow or brown and he hates to have furniture moved out of its place. Christopher lives with his father because his mother died two years earlier of a heart attack. He does not like to be touched or hugged so his father holds up his hand and spreads his fingers out like a fan. When his father does this, Christopher holds up his hand and they let their fingers touch to show they love each other.
The book begins with Christopher discovering that Wellington, a dog who belongs to their neighbor Mrs. Shears, has been murdered. Against his father’s wishes, he decides to investigate the murder of Wellington. While talking to a neighbor named Mrs. Alexander, he discovers some unexpected information about his mother and Mr. Shears. Christopher then finds hidden letters written to him from his mother and this discovery convinces him that his father can no longer be trusted because his father has lied. Christopher leaves home with his pet rat Toby on a scary adventure into an unfamiliar world filled with unfriendly people.
Comments: This book raised controversy in January of this year in Galveston, Texas. All citizens, teens to seniors were originally encouraged to read it for the “Galveston County Reads Day,” but the mayor later retracted it, saying that he didn’t recommend it for the younger readers. A member of the City Council took it a step further, saying that the ‘F’ word appeared on page 4 and that “later in the book, the [lead character] says there is no God and there is no life after death. Clearly these are not ideas we should promote to kids.” The City Council member also said, “We should give [children] wings, but they should be smaller when they are young. This is too much, too soon.”
Last year, I worked as a shadow aide for a boy diagnosed with PDD,NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified – an autistic-like diagnosis) and the teacher of his class recommended that I read this book. I couldn’t believe how much it helped me in my work with this young boy and I would strongly recommend it to all teachers. When I read it again for this class, I thought it would also be a great read for adolescents, 12-years-old and older.
This book gave me an incredible perspective of how children with autism think, and why they act the way they do. It was fascinating to get to know Christopher and try to understand the way in which his brain worked and operated on a daily basis.
As teachers and future teachers, we will all be in the situation to teach a child with special needs at some point during our careers. Our typical students may have an even harder time understanding some of the behavior of a child with autism and may benefit even more from reading this book. I think it would be a good book to read within a class to create awareness of some of the pervasive developmental disorders that are becoming more common. After reading this book, I realized how often most people use common expressions, or figures of speech that are very confusing to people like Christopher. When someone says, “it’s raining cats and dogs,” a child with autism can only interpret this in a literal way. Christopher interpreted these kinds of expressions or metaphors as lies because it was difficult for him to say anything that wasn’t the truth.
Number the Stars
Student Review
Overview: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a book about what the people of Copenhagen Denmark endured when German soldiers occupied their country in 1943. The story itself is fiction, but at the end of the book, the author reveals that the characters are based on real people and their experiences that occurred in Denmark during that time. According to the author, nearly 7,000 Jewish Danes were smuggled across the sea to safety in Sweden, all by the help of the Danish Resistance.
The main character is a 10 year old girl named Annemarie Johansen, whose best friend is Ellen Rosen. Ellen and her family are Jewish and they live in constant fear of being “relocated” by the Nazis. While at synagogue, celebrating the Jewish New Year, the Rosens are informed that a raid is going to take place that night and all Jews will be forced to leave their homes and go with the German officers. The Johansen family takes in Ellen while Ellen’s parents flee from their home. Mrs. Johansen takes her two daughters and Ellen to her brother Henrik’s house in Gilleleje, which is right on the water that separates Denmark from Sweden.
While at Henrik’s, Ellen is reunited with her parents when a member of the Danish Resistance brings the Rosens and some other Jewish Danes to Henrik’s house. They pretend they are having a funeral so they have an excuse when the suspicious German soldiers come knocking on their door to inquire about the group of people they have noticed assembling. In the middle of the night, Annemarie’s mother Mrs. Johansen takes the group of Jews to Henrik’s fishing boat in the harbor to hide in it until morning. A few of their plans go wrong, but brave, young Annemarie saves the day and helps her Jewish friends escape safely to Sweden.
Comments: Number the Stars is an excellent book that deals with the tragic way in which Jews were treated by the Nazis during the war. I would recommend this book for any classroom or any young student because it is well-written and easy to read. The story is narrated, but it is told on Annemarie’s level (a 10-year old), only revealing information as she learns of it. It handles a difficult historical subject without ever mentioning the horrible things that took place. It is an inspirational story that teaches friendship, sacrifice and freedom; the Johansens sacrifice their own personal freedom to help their friends, the Rosens, escape to Sweden where they will be safe from the German soldiers.
This book was interesting and thought-provoking and would probably be enjoyed by most young readers (ages 10 – 14). It also had some suspenseful moments where it was difficult to put down. It may encourage readers to evaluate their own lives and ask themselves if they would be brave enough to risk their lives and freedoms for their friends. Readers who are unfamiliar with this time in history may wonder what would have happened if the Rosens had been captured by the German soldiers. In a classroom setting, a teacher could introduce students to the subject of the Holocaust by reading this inspirational story of courage first, and then teach what happened to those Jews who weren’t as lucky as the Rosens.
Overview: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a book about what the people of Copenhagen Denmark endured when German soldiers occupied their country in 1943. The story itself is fiction, but at the end of the book, the author reveals that the characters are based on real people and their experiences that occurred in Denmark during that time. According to the author, nearly 7,000 Jewish Danes were smuggled across the sea to safety in Sweden, all by the help of the Danish Resistance.
The main character is a 10 year old girl named Annemarie Johansen, whose best friend is Ellen Rosen. Ellen and her family are Jewish and they live in constant fear of being “relocated” by the Nazis. While at synagogue, celebrating the Jewish New Year, the Rosens are informed that a raid is going to take place that night and all Jews will be forced to leave their homes and go with the German officers. The Johansen family takes in Ellen while Ellen’s parents flee from their home. Mrs. Johansen takes her two daughters and Ellen to her brother Henrik’s house in Gilleleje, which is right on the water that separates Denmark from Sweden.
While at Henrik’s, Ellen is reunited with her parents when a member of the Danish Resistance brings the Rosens and some other Jewish Danes to Henrik’s house. They pretend they are having a funeral so they have an excuse when the suspicious German soldiers come knocking on their door to inquire about the group of people they have noticed assembling. In the middle of the night, Annemarie’s mother Mrs. Johansen takes the group of Jews to Henrik’s fishing boat in the harbor to hide in it until morning. A few of their plans go wrong, but brave, young Annemarie saves the day and helps her Jewish friends escape safely to Sweden.
Comments: Number the Stars is an excellent book that deals with the tragic way in which Jews were treated by the Nazis during the war. I would recommend this book for any classroom or any young student because it is well-written and easy to read. The story is narrated, but it is told on Annemarie’s level (a 10-year old), only revealing information as she learns of it. It handles a difficult historical subject without ever mentioning the horrible things that took place. It is an inspirational story that teaches friendship, sacrifice and freedom; the Johansens sacrifice their own personal freedom to help their friends, the Rosens, escape to Sweden where they will be safe from the German soldiers.
This book was interesting and thought-provoking and would probably be enjoyed by most young readers (ages 10 – 14). It also had some suspenseful moments where it was difficult to put down. It may encourage readers to evaluate their own lives and ask themselves if they would be brave enough to risk their lives and freedoms for their friends. Readers who are unfamiliar with this time in history may wonder what would have happened if the Rosens had been captured by the German soldiers. In a classroom setting, a teacher could introduce students to the subject of the Holocaust by reading this inspirational story of courage first, and then teach what happened to those Jews who weren’t as lucky as the Rosens.
Fix
Student Review
Overview: Fix by Leslie Margolis is a story about two sisters, Cameron and Allie Beekman who live among the rich and beautiful people of Bel Air, California. Their beautiful mother, Julie Davenport was a famous actress before she got married and had children. Although Cameron and Allie inherited some of her beauty, they also got stuck with their father’s large nose. After years of ridicule and teasing, Cameron’s parents sent her to the reputable Dr. Glass to have rhinoplasty.
The story begins three years later as Cameron is graduating from Bel Air Prep as a confident, self-assured, popular and beautiful 18-year old young woman. She has grown to love the attention and power that her new found beauty and confidence has brought her. Although she is happy about her transformation, she’s still disappointed with her overall appearance and feels like her body is not proportionate. After a great deal of research, she informs her parents that she has decided to have breast augmentation surgery.
In between each chapter about Cameron is a chapter about her 15-year-old sister Allie. Unlike Cameron, Allie plays sports and spends little time on her appearance. Allie’s life is devoted to playing soccer, where her teammates call her ‘The Beak.” Assuming that this is an insensitive attack on her large nose (and not just a derivative of her last name, Beekman), her parents schedule an appointment for rhinoplasty over her summer break. Allie is very confused about why she needs a new nose and she doesn’t understand why people care so much about appearances. Allie’s appointment falls too close to her 3-week summer soccer camp, which is her opportunity to prove to her coach that she’s the best JV player to take the one open spot on the varsity team. Allie weighs her options and tries to understand the perspective of her sister Cameron and their parents. If Allie is happy now, why have a surgical procedure to change her face?
Comments: Fix is an excellent book that deals with some of the challenges that all women face. Leslie Margolis does a very good job of being a voice for the teenage girl. The book is well-written and takes two different perspectives, alternating between Cameron’s and Allie’s experiences.
When I decided to read this book, I was curious to find out if it would make an argument either way (for or against cosmetic surgery). I felt that the author did a great job making both arguments by telling the stories about the very different sisters. Cameron felt like her nose job had changed her life for the better and had given her the boost of confidence she needed at such a vulnerable time in her life. While all of her friends and family members criticized her decision for a breast augmentation, she was completely at peace with her decision and she stood her ground because it was what she truly wanted. Margolis forces you, the reader, to question Cameron’s motives: should you be worried about what may turn into an addition for Cameron (the “one more surgery and then I’ll be perfect” syndrome), or should you be proud of Cameron for standing her ground and going after what she wants, regardless of the criticism?
Allie could not understand why everyone around her was obsessed with beauty and she wrestled with the decision of whether or not to go through with her rhinoplasty. Allie struggled with the position she was in. If she expressed her true feelings about cosmetic surgery, she felt she would hurt her sister’s and mother’s feelings. But in the end, she realized she needed to be true to herself, which is where she found true happiness.
I would recommend this book to any young reader over the age of 12. Although the story started with underage drinking, (18-year-olds drinking alcohol in Mexico on their graduation trip), the language was very appropriate and clean, with no sexual content. It is informative about some cosmetic surgery procedures, their risks, as well as their painful recoveries, and it could be helpful to adolescents who are contemplating surgery. It was a quick read that would probably appeal to most teenage girls who have ever felt insecure about their appearance.
Overview: Fix by Leslie Margolis is a story about two sisters, Cameron and Allie Beekman who live among the rich and beautiful people of Bel Air, California. Their beautiful mother, Julie Davenport was a famous actress before she got married and had children. Although Cameron and Allie inherited some of her beauty, they also got stuck with their father’s large nose. After years of ridicule and teasing, Cameron’s parents sent her to the reputable Dr. Glass to have rhinoplasty.
The story begins three years later as Cameron is graduating from Bel Air Prep as a confident, self-assured, popular and beautiful 18-year old young woman. She has grown to love the attention and power that her new found beauty and confidence has brought her. Although she is happy about her transformation, she’s still disappointed with her overall appearance and feels like her body is not proportionate. After a great deal of research, she informs her parents that she has decided to have breast augmentation surgery.
In between each chapter about Cameron is a chapter about her 15-year-old sister Allie. Unlike Cameron, Allie plays sports and spends little time on her appearance. Allie’s life is devoted to playing soccer, where her teammates call her ‘The Beak.” Assuming that this is an insensitive attack on her large nose (and not just a derivative of her last name, Beekman), her parents schedule an appointment for rhinoplasty over her summer break. Allie is very confused about why she needs a new nose and she doesn’t understand why people care so much about appearances. Allie’s appointment falls too close to her 3-week summer soccer camp, which is her opportunity to prove to her coach that she’s the best JV player to take the one open spot on the varsity team. Allie weighs her options and tries to understand the perspective of her sister Cameron and their parents. If Allie is happy now, why have a surgical procedure to change her face?
Comments: Fix is an excellent book that deals with some of the challenges that all women face. Leslie Margolis does a very good job of being a voice for the teenage girl. The book is well-written and takes two different perspectives, alternating between Cameron’s and Allie’s experiences.
When I decided to read this book, I was curious to find out if it would make an argument either way (for or against cosmetic surgery). I felt that the author did a great job making both arguments by telling the stories about the very different sisters. Cameron felt like her nose job had changed her life for the better and had given her the boost of confidence she needed at such a vulnerable time in her life. While all of her friends and family members criticized her decision for a breast augmentation, she was completely at peace with her decision and she stood her ground because it was what she truly wanted. Margolis forces you, the reader, to question Cameron’s motives: should you be worried about what may turn into an addition for Cameron (the “one more surgery and then I’ll be perfect” syndrome), or should you be proud of Cameron for standing her ground and going after what she wants, regardless of the criticism?
Allie could not understand why everyone around her was obsessed with beauty and she wrestled with the decision of whether or not to go through with her rhinoplasty. Allie struggled with the position she was in. If she expressed her true feelings about cosmetic surgery, she felt she would hurt her sister’s and mother’s feelings. But in the end, she realized she needed to be true to herself, which is where she found true happiness.
I would recommend this book to any young reader over the age of 12. Although the story started with underage drinking, (18-year-olds drinking alcohol in Mexico on their graduation trip), the language was very appropriate and clean, with no sexual content. It is informative about some cosmetic surgery procedures, their risks, as well as their painful recoveries, and it could be helpful to adolescents who are contemplating surgery. It was a quick read that would probably appeal to most teenage girls who have ever felt insecure about their appearance.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
King Dork
By Frank Portman
I really liked this book, even if the students in class were not thrilled about it. It is the story of a teenage who is obsessed with music (rock and roll), figuring out the mysterious death of his father and the secret to dealing with the oppposite sex. It is a novel about navigating the strange waters of high school, particularly the groups and sub-groups that make up the student body.
What I think is really interesting is that the main character is fighting against the cult of "Catcher in the Rye." Almost every adult in the story raves about it, especially the teachers, and he doesn't think it is so great. He also directly addresses the kind of things kids have to read in school (e.g., A Separate Peace, Lord of the Flies, etc.) and brings to life the reading habits of high school kids. I never like Catcher, so perhaps it hit home.
There is some drug use, some explicit (but not graphic) sexuality, and some language that is salty (but realistic). Students in my class thought they might not want it in their classrooms, but others thought some students could read it during independent reading time.
I really liked this book, even if the students in class were not thrilled about it. It is the story of a teenage who is obsessed with music (rock and roll), figuring out the mysterious death of his father and the secret to dealing with the oppposite sex. It is a novel about navigating the strange waters of high school, particularly the groups and sub-groups that make up the student body.
What I think is really interesting is that the main character is fighting against the cult of "Catcher in the Rye." Almost every adult in the story raves about it, especially the teachers, and he doesn't think it is so great. He also directly addresses the kind of things kids have to read in school (e.g., A Separate Peace, Lord of the Flies, etc.) and brings to life the reading habits of high school kids. I never like Catcher, so perhaps it hit home.
There is some drug use, some explicit (but not graphic) sexuality, and some language that is salty (but realistic). Students in my class thought they might not want it in their classrooms, but others thought some students could read it during independent reading time.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The First Posting
Hi. This blog will cover reviews of adolescent literature as written up by teachers.
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