King and King

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
De Haan, Linda and Nijland Stern. 2002. KING AND KING. Tricycle Press. ISBN 9781582460611

2. PLOT SUMMARY
King and King is a fairy tale about a Queen wanting her son, Prince Bertie, to marry so she can pass the throne to him. The problem is Prince Bertie doesn’t like any of the Princesses that are presented to him. When all hope is almost lost, Princess Madeleine arrives with her brother, Prince Lee. Prince Bertie replies, “Oh, what a wonderful prince.” The two princes fall in love and get married. After the wedding, the Queen retires and the two princes are known as the King and King and live happily ever after.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
King and King have the familiar fairy tale element where, “everyone lives happily ever after.” The difference in this story is the surprising twist, when the prince falls in love with another prince. Same sex- families and those who are open minded and want to show their children other diversities will delight in this story. For others, this book is controversial due to its homosexual theme. This story does present readers with the idea that everyone is different and it doesn’t matter who you fall in love with as long as you are happy.
The illustrations are vividly done with bold and colorful watercolor pictures with some being done in a collage form. Most of the pictures help to enhance the text but the pages that contained the collages didn’t seem to make a very good connection to the text.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale.”

Booklist: “Here's a winning Dutch import for parents looking for an original tale with a gay slant.”

Kirkus Review: “A joyful celebration that firmly challenges the assumptions established and perpetuated by the entire canon of children's picture books.”

5. CONNECTION
De Haan, Linda. KING & KING & FAMILY. ISBN 9781582461137
Parnell, Pete & Richardson, Justin. AND TANGO MAKES THREE. ISBN 9780689878459
Gregg, Jennifer. FLYING FREE. ISBN 9781594579721

Things Not Seen

1. BLIOGRAPHY
Clements, Andrew. 2002. THINGS NOT SEEN. New York: Puffin. ISBN 0399236260

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Things Not Seen is about Bobby Phillips, a teenage boy who lives with his dad who is a scientist and his mom who teaches literature at the university. Life for Bobby has always led a normal life until one morning when he finishes his shower, steps out and looks in the mirror only to find he is invisible. At first Bobby’s parents do not believe him and thinks he is playing a practical joke on them. His parents finally realize that Bobby is not playing a joke and they make him promise not to tell anyone until they can figure out what to do. Left at home, while his parents go to work, Bobby becomes very bored and decides to visit the universities library. Bobby puts his coat, scarves, hat and sunglasses on because of the cold weather. When Bobby leaves the library, he accidentally runs into a girl. Bobby becomes nervous about the girl and her being able to figure out that he is invisible but he realizes that the girl is blind. Bobby’s parents wind up in the hospital for a few days due to a car accident. Bobby is left on his own and decides to search for the girl he ran into at the library. Bobby finds Alicia and the form a friendship in which Bobby confides in her about his invisibility. Alicia tells her parents and together with Bobby’s parents who have left the hospital, begin looking together to find a cure. Through research, Bobby and Alicia track down a cure and without telling their parents, they proceed with the experiment. The experiment is a success and Bobby becomes visible.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is told from the point of view of Bobby Phillips. Bobby’s first-persons narrative takes readers through his experiences of being invisible. These experiences include hanging out in the university library naked and unseen and acting as a spy in Sears Corporate Office. Alicia’s character has the disability of blindness. Clements helps the reader become aware of Alicia’s despair when she awakes and realizes she is blind. “But in the morning…the morning was horrible. I know I was awake, but it was like I was still asleep, or like I was lost inside the big dark…thing.” (Clements 105). Alicia’s blindness changes her life and it is depicted with accuracy. She uses a white cane to help her walk, she listens to audio books, and Bobby and her are able to text messages through a computer that has text to speech capabilities. Alicia’s character is not stereotypical. She is portrayed as proactive, strong and she realizes she can accomplish her life goal. With Bobby’s invisibility and Alicia’s blindness it creates a connection between them. Their disabilities show them as being different and not being understood which is common in society. The underlying theme is that although Bobby’s condition does eventually get cured, Alicia’s condition will never be reversed.
This book is a fast paced mystery which readers will enjoy. Clements has lots of fun with the invisibility in the story which helps readers to easily imagine what it would be like for their world to disappear.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Horn Book Guide: “This is a well-done school-and-family story with a not-so-invisible wrinkle.”

School Library Journal: “The author successfully blends reality with fantasy in a tale that keeps his audience in suspense until the very end.”

Kirkus Review: “A readable, thought-provoking tour de force, alive with stimulating ideas, hard choices, and young people discovering bright possibilities ahead.”
5. CONNECTION
Clements, Andrew. LOST AND FOUND. ISBN 9781416909859
Clements, Andrew. THE JANITOR’S BOY. ISBN 9780689835858
Clements, Andrew. THINGS THAT ARE. ISBN 9780399246913

Habibi

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689801491

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Liyana is an Arab-American 14 year old girl living in St. Louis with her parents and brother, Rafik. One day after Liyana’s first kiss, her parents inform them that they will be moving to their father’s homeland of Jerusalem. Liyana is heartbroken to know she will have to leave her friends and culture and customs she knows. As the story progresses, Liyana starts up a friendship with Omar, a Jewish boy, and then begins to fall in love with him. Through the story Liyana faces many struggles with cultural differences which helps her remain strong and embrace her heritage.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
HABIBI, written by Naomi Shihab Nye, has won the Jane Addams Children’s Book award and the American Library Association Notable Books for Children. Nye brings authenticity to this story because she has lived both in America and the Middle East giving her first hand knowledge of the cultures within. Nye gives her readers a vivid description of the village outside the city, “The dusky green of olive trees planted in terraced rows up hillsides, walls of carefully stacked stone, and old wells with real wooden buckets.” (Nye 52) Other cultural markers include the religious practices such as the muezzin which gave the call to prayer on a loudspeaker from the Mosque in the village that Sitti lives in. Nye examines the physical descriptions of the characters. Dr. Kamal is described as “rumpled black hair and dark eyes.” Liyana’s mother as “long brown hair, which she usually wore pulled back in a straight ponytail, and hazel eyes.” Liyana is described as, “a half-half American girl with Arab eyes and her and her brother as both looking more like their Palestinian father than their American mother.
There are also cultural customs addressed. An example is when Liyana meets Omer, a young Jewish boy and finds out that dating is not allowed, “It’s inappropriate for a girl to invite a boy anywhere in this part of the world.” (Nye 229) To further complicate their developing relationship the violence and mistrust that exist between Palestinians and Jews cultures makes it more difficult. Another custom included when Liyana’s relatives prayed, “they unrolled small blue prayer rugs from a shelf, then knelt, stood, and knelt again touching their foreheads to the ground, saying their prayers in low voices.” (Nye 52) Throughout the story there are Arabic and Jewish words integrated to help bring authenticity to the text such as booza (ice cream), shiva (a time when family members remove their shoes, do not leave the house and mirrors are covered to mourn the dead. One important cultural difference that is clearly portrayed is the strife between the Arabs, Jews, and Palestinians. These differences have created conflicts between these groups causing bombings, attacks, and imprisonment. Due to all the tension between these groups Liyana learns first hand when her dad is falsely imprisoned for a day because he was trying to help Khaled after being shot by soldiers. Through all the struggles and cultural changes, Liyana begins to realize she is no longer homesick for the U.S. and begins to feel at home in Jerusalem.
The cover of the book illustrates three people who each bring a variety of beliefs. It portrays Omer who is in a yellow checked shirt, Liyanna who is in her American clothes and Sitta, her grandmother who is wearing the traditional Arabic clothing.
This story is written which conveys anger, passion and fear which will grab any reader’s attention and keep their interest all the way through.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT (S)

Booklist: “The story is steeped in detail about the place and cultures: food, geography, history, shopping, schools, languages, religions, etc. Just when you think it is obtrusive to have essays and journal entries thrust into the story, you get caught up in the ideas and the direct simplicity with which Nye speaks.”

Publisher’s Weekly: “This soul-stirring novel about the Abbouds, an Arab American family, puts faces and names to the victims of violence and persecution in Jerusalem today.”

Kirkus Review: “Liyana's romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own.”

5. CONNECTION
Nye, Shihab Naomi. WORDS UNDER THE WORDS; SELECTED POEMS. ISBN 9780933377295
Nye, Shihab Naomi. WHAT HAVE YOU LOST. ISBN 9780380733071
Nye, Shihab Naomi. THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD: POEMS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 9780689851728

Dragon's Gate

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yep, Laurence. 1993. DRAGON’S GATE. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780064404891

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Dragon’s Gate is about a young teenage Chinese boy named Otter who dreams about going to America. Otter wants to join his father and uncle who have been working with other Chinese workers to build a tunnel for the transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Otter’s mother will not agree to Otter leaving China until he accidentally kills a Manchu. Otter does join his father, uncle and other Chinese workers and experiences the many hardships that come with it. The Chinese are treated harshly by the American bosses. They are made to work long days while suffering in the cold from hunger and exhaustion. Through these hardships, Otter becomes a strong young man and decides not to return to China. Instead he decides to stay in American and carry on the “Great Work.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Dragon’s Gate is set in China during 1867. Yep helps to lay the background by describing the Chinese Culture in the late 1800’s so the reader can have a better understanding of what has happened by saying, “Some two centuries ago, a barbarian tribe called the Manchus came thundering down from the north to conquer the Middle Kingdom, or China, as it’s called in the Land of the Golden Mountain. For two hundred years, our family has been trying to drive them off the dragon throne; and we have paid the price with our blood and our souls.” (Yep 5) This novel is a fast-paced and action packed. The characters are fully developed and interesting. The main theme is about Chinese immigrant’s adjustment to life in America. Readers will find that there are cross culture conflicts throughout. These conflicts include the conflict between the Chinese immigrants and the American bosses and between the Chinese immigrants themselves.
Readers will find there are symbols, dragons and demons talked about and seen through myths and folklores throughout the story. Readers also get a feel for the Chinese culture when Otter’s uncle tells him, “You listen to your parents and your parents listen to the clan elders and the clan elders obeyed the wishes of the dead- as tradition requires.” (Yep 35)
This is a book that anyone would enjoy reading. Even though this is a historical fiction it is based on the Chinese immigrants that did help build the transcontinental railroad in America. It is known that the working conditions were bad and the work was dangerous. Laurence Yep does include an Afterword at the back to show where he got his research information.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist: “This is an engaging survival-adventure story, a social history, a heroic quest.”

School Library Journal: “Yep uses the lively storytelling techniques of his ``Dragon'' fantasy-adventure novels to re-create a stirring historical event-here, the construction of the transcontinental railroad.”

Kirkus Review: “In a story enlivened with humor and heroism, Yep pays tribute to the immigrants who played such a vital role in our country's history.”

5. CONNECTION
Yep, Laurence. DRAGONWINGS. ISBN 9780064400855
Yep, Laurence. THE DRAGON’S CHILD. ISBN 9780060276928
Yep, Laurence. CHILD OF THE OWL. ISBN 9780064403368

Tree of Cranes

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Say, Allen. 1991. TREE OF CRANES. Ill. by Allen Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 039552024X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tree of Cranes is about a young boy who has been warned by his mother, not to play in the icy pond. Despite his mother’s warnings, he plays in it and comes home with a cold. His mother is upset with him for disobeying. She prepares a hot bath and then sends him off to bed. When the boy hears a noise in the garden, he goes to investigate it and finds his mama digging up his pine tree that was planted for him when he was born. She brings the tree into his room and decorates it with origami cranes and candles. This becomes the boy’s first Christmas tree. He begins to listen to his mama as she tells him about her Christmas back in California.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tree of Cranes takes place in Japan. It is narrated by a young Japanese boy who thinks he is in trouble for disobeying his mother. The text is written in simple form and reveals the special relationship between the young boy and his mother. There are several cultural markers throughout the passages. Examples include the boy eating rice gruel (which is fed to those who are sick) out of his Papa’s big cup, a tradition of planting a tree for the young boy’s birth, so that “he would live a long life like the tree.” (pg. 18) The author has also brought two cultures together when the mother tells her son about the Christmas she celebrated in California and shows him how to decorate his first Christmas tree by using origami cranes and candles.
The illustrations in this book provide cultural marker by showing the characters with light skin tones and black hair. The mother is seen wearing a traditional kimono and the son is placed in one after his bath. The furnishings of the house are in Japanese style such as the mattress on the floor, the tub in the wooden box, the sliding doors and the chopsticks being used to eat with. The illustrations help to give authenticity to this book and will help readers make the connections to the Japanese culture.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus Review: “Say's exquisitely designed illustrations are as elegant as those for The Boy of the Three-Year Nap (1988, Caldecott Honor). Geometric forms in the austere Japanese architecture provide a serene background for softer lines defining the appealing little boy and his pensive mother.”

Booklist: “Say's watercolors not only capture fascinating details of the boy's far away home--his tall, wooden tub, his futon, his mother's tiny tree--but also depict, with simple grace, the rich and complex bond between mother and child that underlies the story.”

Publisher’s Weekly: “The story is a poignant one, illuminated with finely drawn illustrations reflecting the serenity of a Japanese home and the quiet love between mother and son.”

5. CONNECTION
Say, Allen. KAMISHIBAI MAN. ISBN 9780618479542
Say, Allen. EMMA’S RUG. ISBN 9780618335237
Say, Allen. TEA WITH MILK. ISBN 9780395904954

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yoo, Paula. SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY. 2005. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 158430247X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In the summer of 1932, twelve year old Sammy Lee stood by at the local pool and watched white kids swimming and diving off the diving board. As Sammy watched, he decided that he wanted to learn how to dive but being a Korean American, a person of color, he knew that he would only be allowed to use the pool once a week.
Sammy was determined to learn to dive so he continued to push through the obstacles of discrimination to reach his goal of someday being an Olympic gold medalist. While pursuing his dream, Sammy’s father wanted him to lay aside his diving and focus on becoming a doctor. For the next sixteen years, Sammy studied hard to become a doctor but continued to enter diving competitions. In 1943 Sammy lost his dad to a heart attack and stopped diving so he could finish his doctor’s degree. After graduating Sammy started working in hospitals and continued to see people being discriminated against. In 1948 Sammy entered the Olympics and became the first Asian American to win the Olympic gold medal.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is a picture book biography about Sammy Lee who overcame racial discrimination to win a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics. Paula Yoo who is a journalist and television writer came across this story while studying the history of Korean American which helps to bring authenticity to this biography. The author begins this story by taking the reader back to the 1930’s where racial discrimination was prevalent. We are told this when the narrator explains why Sammy was not allowed to enter the public swimming pool any time he wanted, “ Sammy would have to wait until Wednesday, when people of color were allowed to go inside.”(pg 1), when Sammy was not allowed to attend his senior prom because only white students could, when he wasn’t allowed to eat in a restaurant with his friends, and when there was rumor of him not being allowed to compete in the Olympics because he wasn’t white. In the Asian American culture, working for a better life is very important and throughout this story Sammy’s father continues to tell Sammy that, “In America, you can achieve anything if you set your heart to it.” The narrator revels to the readers that Sammy’s parents, “left Korea for a better life in America. His father worked hard at their family’s restaurant, saving money in the bank and putting his tips in a shoe box for his son’s future.”(50) Another culture marker that Yoo brings out is honor. Asian Americans talk about honor and the importance of it. Sammy watched as a customer was rude to his father. Later he wanted to know why his father allowed the rudeness and his father made the comment, “ instead of losing my temper, he acted with honor.”(14)
The underlying theme is, “You can be and do anything you want no matter what your skin color is.” At the end of the book readers will have the opportunity to read the Author’s Note which gives extra details of what Sammy did after the Olympics.
The acrylic illustrations that are throughout the book are done by Dom Lees who is an award winning illustrator of many children’s books and is a native of Seoul, Korea. These illustrations that Lees has presented in the book are very realistic and have the feel of old photographs. Lee has used darker tones to illustrate Sammy and his father’s skin tones along with slanted eyes to portray the Asian facial features. He has also depicted the time period with the types of cars and clothing worn in the 1930’s. Both the text and the illustrations will help readers make the connection and keep their interest to the very end.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Horn Book Magazine: “She creates a picture of a person who succeeded through determined hard work -- not a larger-than-life hero, but an ordinary person of great achievement.”

Publisher’s Weekly: “Yoo debuts with an inspiring tribute to the first Asian-American to win an Olympic gold medal, in 1948.”

School Library Journal: “This inspirational biography recognizes the life of the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal, at the 1948 Games in London.”

5. CONNECTION
Yoo, Paula. GOOD ENOUGH. ISBN 9780060790851
Mochizuki, Ken. PASSAGE TO FREEDOM: THE SUGIHARA STORY. Ill by Dom Lee. ISBN 9781584301578
Mochizuki, Ken. HEROES. Ill by Dom Lee. ISBN 9781880000502

Rain Is Not My Indian Name

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 006029504

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Rain is has just turned 14 and has already faced several tragedies. Her mother died after being struck by lightning not long ago and on her birthday she is told her best friend Galen has been killed in a car/pedestrian accident. Rain’s father is in the military and is stationed overseas leaving Rain and her older brother Fynn to live with their grandfather. Fynn’s girlfriend, Natalie has moved in rather quickly only to find out that she is pregnant. After Galen’s death, Rain goes into seclusion for almost six months, not taking phone calls or attending Galen’s funeral. Rain decides to come out of seclusion when a local paper has asked her to photograph the Indian Camp that her aunt has put together in their community. When Rain accepts the job, she quickly realizes that there is racism and bigotry that accompanies the camp. When Rain steps up to join the fight she begins to honor her heritage and accept Galen’s death.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Rain Is Not My Indian Name is a heart wrenching story about a thirteen year old girl who must come to grips with her heritage and the tragic deaths of her mom and best friend, Galen. The setting for this story is in a small town in Hannesburg, Kansas. It is a community where inaccurate rumors are spread about Rain and Galen’s last night together. Smith gives enough details that make Hannesburg a town that is believable to readers. Cynthia Leitich Smith writes this story by drawing on her own experiences as a mixed blood Muscogee Creek Member, therefore bringing authenticity into the passages. Smith addresses the stereotypical labels placed on American Indians when Rain talks about how her school teaches about Native Americans around “Turkey Day by the cardboard cutouts of Pilgrims and the pumpkins and the squash taped to the windows at McDonalds. And the so-called Indians look like the bogeyman on the prairie, windblown cover boys selling paperback romances, or baby-faced refugees from the world of Precious Moments.”(13)Smith makes references to physical attributes such as Rain’s wheat colored hair and hazel eyes to Fynn’s darker complexion. Smith also includes a variety of Native American events, symbols, and customs such as the powwow that Rain and Galen attend back in June in Oklahoma City, the Indian taco they ate and the picture Rain describes while watching a girl dance, “a girl turning with a rose-quilted shawl. I shot her two ways, first to capture one footstep, one flying rose, and the slower to preserve the blur of her dance, the rhythm of the drums.”(6)
Another culture marker that brings Rains’ culture to the forefront is when she pulls out her mother’s “traditional tear dress.” Rain acknowledges that the dress, “looked wrong somehow, more like a museum piece than part of living.”(21)
Smith has written this story in a way that helps readers to connect to the Native American culture and open their eyes to the prejudices that they face like Rain did on a daily basis.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publisher’s Weekly: “Even so, readers will feel the affection of Rain's loose-knit family and admire the way that they, like the author with the audience, allow Rain to draw her own conclusions about who she is and what her heritage means to her.”

School Library Journal: “It's Rain's story and she cannot be reduced to simple labels. A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her "patchwork tribe."-

Kirkus Review: “Tender, funny, and full of sharp wordplay, Smith's first novel deals with a whole host of interconnecting issues, but the center is Rain herself.”
5. CONNECTION
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. INDIAN SHOES. ISBN 9780060295318
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. JINGEL DANCER. ISBN 9780688162412

Sees Behind Trees

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dorris, Michael. 1996. SEES BEHIND TREES. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0786822155

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sees Behind Trees is a coming-of-age story about a young Native American boy, Walnut, who must prove his readiness to move from boyhood to manhood by completing a skills test that requires shooting a bow and arrow. If Walnut passes the test, he will then earn his adult name. Walnut becomes frustrated because his poor vision hinders him from accurately shooting. Walnut’s uncle figures out the problem and relays it to his mom. Walnut’s mom then begins to work with him on seeing things without his eyes open. When the skills test begins all the boys are given a special test that requires them to see with their eyes shut. Walnut passes his test and is given his adult name “Sees Behind Trees.” Sees Behind Trees’ skills are put to the test when he goes on a journey with Gray Fire, who wants to find the “Land of Water”, which he found when he was little. During their journey Sees Behind Trees and Gray Fire come across strangers which are the first time Sees Behind Trees have ever seen any. The strangers offer them pieces of jerky and tea. After a little while the couple brings out a baby to show Sees Behind Trees and Gray Fire. The couple then invites them to stay the night. The next morning they set off on their journey. They finally reach their destination only to lose Gray Fire to death. When Sees Behind Trees begins the journey back alone he goes back to the stranger’s camp only to find it has been burned and the couple has been taken. Sees Behind Trees does find the couple’s baby and takes her and finds his way back home.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Michael Dorris has written Sees Behind Trees as a coming-of-age story that is in chronological order with several memory flashbacks sprinkled throughout. This story is written through the eyes and voice of Sees Behind Trees. The plot centers around Sees Behind Trees poor vision and the gift to use his senses to help Gray Fire find his “Land of Water,” which he has never been able to go back to. There are several underlying themes including, you can take your weakness and turn it into strength and overcoming problems are a big part of life. This story is intertwined with cultural markers all throughout. These markes include; when the boys of the tribe become men when they turn twelve by taking a skills test, their years are counted by the passing of the moons, when they pass the skills test they are given an adult name which signifies their ability such as Gray Fire and Brings’ the Deer; clothes and tools that were used by Native Americans such as, “I pulled a deerskin robe closer around my chest,” (48) and “I packed some flint, shell knife, a strong coiled rope of grapevine.” He hesitated. “Ashes from the cooking fire,” he added gruffly. “ To remind you where you live.”(50), There is also the mention of using medicine which Native Americans used to heal, an example is when Gray Fire explained how Otter wrapped his damaged foot in poultice (soft, moist mass of cloth, bread, meal, herbs applied hot as a medicament to the body) made of leaves. (43) Another cultural marker described Gray Fire with, “black hair was streaked with white and his face was brown and round as a chestnut. With so many cultural markers it helps to give authenticity to the story that will help readers to connect to the emotions that are presented and the knowledge that, it doesn’t matter what culture or century you grow up in, growing up has the same basic elements.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publisher’s Weekly: “The authenticity of the characterizations and setting will ease readers toward acceptance of the quasi-mystical adventure that crowns the story. It's a thrilling read, with the pleasures compounding at every turn of the page.”
School Library Journal: “There's a timeless quality to this 15th-century adventure that will be meaningful and immediate for young people today.”

Kirkus Review: “The exquisitely crafted language remains so simple it can be enjoyed by middle-graders, while the brevity and adventure promise wide readership among less-skilled teenage readers.”

5. CONNECTION
Borris, Michael. MORNING GIRL. ISBN 9780786813582
Borris, Michael. GUEST. ISBN 9780786813568
Borris, Michael. THE WINDOW. ISBN 9780786813179

Skeleton Man

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph. 2001. SKELETON MAN. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060290765

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Skeleton Man is about Molly who wakes up one morning to find her parents have disappeared. Social Services steps in and takes her only to release her to a great-uncle that she has never met or heard about. When Molly moves in with her uncle he locks her bedroom door at night. Molly begins having dreams about the Skeleton Man, which comes from and Old Mohawk tale that her father use to tell. These dreams seem to be warning Molly that she is in danger but in order to help herself she must understand what they mean.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this fictional tale, Molly is the heroine and protagonist of the story. Molly’s uncle is the antagonist. Both characters are well developed enough that the readers experiences the emotions that Molly express and the eerie feelings that surround her uncle. Although this is a fictional tale and has a supernatural touch to it is grounded in reality therefore giving the tale an element of probability.
There are several Native American markers that can be found throughout the tale. The first is Molly’s explanation of the Mohawk’s Skeleton Man story told by her father whom she believes is coming true after her parents disappear and she moves in with her uncle. Another marker is when Molly dreams and explains them as “aware dreams,” where she is wearing deerskin and moccasins. Bruchac makes it evident to the readers that Molly has been influenced by Native American teachings when he writes that Molly’s father tells her to “trust your dreams….That’s our old way, our Mohawk way. The way of our ancestors.” (48) and “Something my dad said comes back to me, some of the Mohawk warrior wisdom he was always teaching me. It doesn’t matter if you are the hunted or the hunter. Sometimes the most important thing you can do in a tough situation is to keep quiet, breathe slowly, and think.”
Bruchac gives hints about Molly’s Native American appearance by describing her with thick eyebrows that almost meet in the middle and ink-black hair that grows thick. (30) There are also a few black and white pictures that can be found throughout the tale that portray Molly with dark hair and braided. Although the pictures do not enhance the text, it is nice to see pictures that depict what Molly and the Skeleton man look like.
Skeleton Man is definitely a chilling and suspenseful tale that will keep readers on edge.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publisher Weekly: "The mix of traditional and contemporary cultural references adds to the haunting appeal, and the quick pace and suspense will likely hold the interest of young readers.”

Kirkus Review: “Bruchac adds believable details, vigorously cranks up the suspense, and pits a deliciously ghastly creature who likes to play with his food against a resourceful young heroine who draws both on courage and cultural tradition to come out on top. A natural for under-the-blanket reading.”

School Library Journal: “In the classic horror tradition, Bruchac offers a timely tale that will make hearts beat and brows sweat, and it has the bonus of a resourceful heroine to put the world right again”.-
5. CONNECTION
Bruchac, Joseph. THE RETURN OF SKELETON MAN. ISBN 9780060580926
Bruchac, Joseph. BEARWALKER. ISBN 9780061123092
Bruchac, Joseph. WABI: A HERO’S TALE. ISBN 9780142409473

Accidental Love

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Soto, Gary. 2006. ACCIDENTAL LOVE. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Books. ISBN 9780152061135

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Accidental Love is about Marisa Rodriguez, a 14 year old Latino girl who is known for a hot temper and bad grades. When Marisa gets in a fight with Roberto, her best friend’s boyfriend, Rene who is Roberto’s math tutor breaks it up. During the brawl, Marisa accidentally picks up Rene’s cell phone. When Marisa and Rene exchange cell phones and instant attraction becomes evident. Marisa transfers to Rene’s school where their relationship continues to grow and together they decide to work on their fitness, Marisa losing weight and Rene lifting weights. As they continue to date, Rene’s mother finds out and forbids him from seeing Marisa. When Rene doesn’t stop seeing Marisa, his mother informs the school that Marisa does not live in the district and is using her aunt’s address. Marisa is forced to return to her old school where she is treated as an outsider. Marisa suggests to Rene that he talk to his dad about his mom’s domineering and mean attitude toward him. When his dad finds bruises and scratches on Rene, he suggests that he move in with him. This move places Rene in Marisa’s old school district and helps to reunite them once again.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Soto has written Accidental Love with young people in mind. This is a sensitive yet humorous love story that brings both emotion and teenage issues into the forefront. It deals with issues that include popularity, obesity, abuse, and relationships. The characters that are presented in this story are both realistic and credible which will help readers relate to the problems that they face throughout the story. However, Marisa’s character seems to be the one that matures and grows the most. You see this when she struggles with her anger outburst and tries to control them. In the end she seems like she has succeeded in her endeavors to keep her temper at hand.
Some cultural markers include the closeness that is portrayed when the aunt allows Marisa to use her address so that she can attend the Magnet school and she sleeps over several times a week. There are Spanish words that are sprinkled throughout the text that gives authenticity to the text such as mentiroso(liar), cholo (gangsters), and pendejo(dummy) with a glossary at the back of the book to help the reader understand. There are also foods that are connected to the Latino/Hispanic culture used such as enchiladas, refried beans, rice and churno’s(Mexican doughnuts).
The author lets the reader know that Rene’s mother takes a stereotypical view on Marisa and views her as a gangster girl because she lives in the wrong neighborhood.
The underlying theme of the story and the lesson that Marisa learns is that, as long as you are happy and like yourself it doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publisher’s Weekly: “The teens' struggles shine through with simplicity and authenticity. Soto fluidly incorporates Spanish words into the dialogue (and ends with a glossary). He successfully bridges gender and cultural issues that affect teens, while pinpointing details that portray life in California's Central Valley.”

School Library Journal: “However, it's hard not to like spunky Marisa and appreciate the fresh point of view she brings to what otherwise might be a typical teen romance.”

Booklist: “With humor and insight, he creates memorable, likable characters in Marisa and Rene, who find support and love by valuing authenticity and sweetness over cool.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Soto, Gary. BASEBALL IN APRIL AND OTHER STORIES. ISBN 9780152025670
Soto, Gary. BURIED ONIONS. ISBN 9780152062651
Soto, Gary. THE AFTERLIFE. ISBN 0152047743

Tomas' and the Library Lady

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 1997. Ill by Raul Colon. New York: Random House Inc. ISBN 0679804013

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tomas’ and the Library Lady is about Tomas, a young boy whose family are migrant workers traveling from Texas to Iowa each year during summer to work on farms. As Tomas’s family works in the fields, he helps with chores and helps bring water to them. When Tomas’ isn’t working, he spends his time playing games with a ball his mom has made from and old teddy bear and listens to his grandfather, PaPa Grande, tell stories. Tomas’ PaPa Grande encourages him to go to the library so he can come back and tell him more stories. As Tomas’ is looking in the library, the librarian invites him into the library to get a drink of water. While he is there the librarian brings him books to read. By the end of the day the librarian checks two books out to him and he takes them home to share with his family. Tomas’ continues to visit the library throughout the summer. By the end of summer, Tomas’ gives the librarian a farewell gift and in return she gives him a book of his own.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is based on Tomas’ Rivera’s life as a Mexican American boy and growing up in a migrant family. Mora gives the readers an insight of what it was to live as a migrant farm worker. Tomas’ family is not wealthy. The story begins with Tomas’ on their way to Iowa to work on a farm. They are traveling in an “old car” that has no air condition because Tomas’ tells his mom, “If I had a glass of cold water, I would drink it in large gulps. I would suck the ice. I would pour the last drops of water on my face.” When the family arrives in Iowa, his family shares a small house with other workers and Tomas’ must sleep on a cot. Tomas’ family works in the fields picking corn while Tomas’ and his brother fetch water for them and other workers. Sometimes Tomas’s and his brother play ball that their mother made from an old teddy bear. Tomas’ family would also go to the town dump and look for pieces of iron to sell while Tomas’ looked for books.
Mora’s use of names such as Tomas’ and Enrique are examples of cultural markers. When Tomas’ talks to his mother, father and grandfather, he addresses them as Mama’, Papa’, and Papa’ Grande which are a part of the culture. Throughout the story, Mora uses Spanish dialect to bring more authenticity to the text and translations after each phrase and word to help readers understand their meanings by using words like, “Buenas noches,” meaning “good night,” “En un tiempo pasado” meaning “once upon a time,” and “Que’ tigre tan grande!” meaning, “what a big tiger.”
The underlying theme seems to be strong family ties. Tomas’ family travels from Texas to Iowa working together, playing, going through the dump to find things to sell, listening to stories, and encouraging Tomas’ to explore the library and the books it offers and sharing those stories.
Raul Colon is the illustrator and his has done a wonderful job depicting the 1940 era. He has added cultural marker by giving Tomas’ and his family skin tones of light brown. The colors that Colon has chosen to use give the reader a sense of warmth and contentment. The illustrations show a family that is united and a boy who has the freedom to have adventures while reading books. Both the text and illustrations complement each other to provide the readers with a story that is enjoyable to read and encourages the enjoyment of reading and shows the impact that it can have on one’s life.



4. REVIEW EXCERPT(s)

Booklist: “Ages 4^-8. Based on a true incident in the life of the famous writer Tomas Rivera, the son of migrant workers, this picture book captures an elemental American experience: the uprooted child who finds a home in the library.”

Kirkus Review: “A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa.”

5. CONNECTION
Mora, Pat. CONFETTI: POEMS PARA NINOS/POEMS FOR CHILDREN. ISBN 9781584302704
Mora, Pat. THE BAKERY LADY/ LA SENORA DE LA PANADERIA’. ISBN 978155885340
Mora, Pat. YUM! MMMM! QUE RICOL: AMERICAS SPROUTINGS. ISBN 9781584302711

Esperanza Rising

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2000. ESPERANZA RISING. New York: Scholastics. ISBN 0439120411

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Esperanza Rising is about a young girl living in Mexico in the 1920’s. Her family is very wealthy and live on Rancho de las Rosas, a vineyard that has been owned by the family for generations. During this time Mexico is recovering from the revolution that had taken place 10 years prior. Throughout the land there is still malice between the rich landowners and the peasants. Everyone is looking forward the end of the harvest celebration when Esperanza’s father doesn’t return from working in the fields. The ranch foreman and his son are sent out to look for him. When Esperanza’s father is found dead, her uncle proposes marriage to her mother but she refuses. After the refusal, their house is burnt down and Esperanza’s mother realizes they must escape across the border where Esperanza finds that her life will be forever changed. Where once she was waited on, she now is faced to work on a farm, deal with her mother’s illness, face a workers strike and deal with ridicule from others. Through all the hardships that Esperanza faces by the end she learns what is important to her and how to live independtly.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Esperanza Rising was nominated for the 2003 Bluebonnet Award and the 2003 Pura Belpre Award. It is based on Pam Munoz Ryan’s grandmother’s life. This novel portrays a story about Mexican immigration to California in the 1930’s and the competition for jobs from families moving away from Oklahoma due to the Dust Bowl and those who had lost their jobs because of the depression. Ryan presents many aspects that immigration dealt with which included, deportment and fighting for equal pay and better living conditions. There are some cultural markers throughout the passages which help to give authenticity to the story. These include descriptions of some of the migrants, “plump with a round face and a complexion that was fairer than Esperanza’s,” “delicate and frail with big brown eyes, long braids and skinny legs.”
The comparison of Esperanza’s mom’s hair, “her mother’s beautiful black hair which she dept pinned up as the wife of a landowners in Mexico and then lets it hang down long as the migrant worker. Migrants were picked up from the train in a pickup where the younger ones traveled in the back. The clothes Esperanza and her mom wore in Mexico were of wealth compared to the ill fitting clothes they wore upon arrival to the migrant camp. Other cultural references deal with Mexican customs such as the foods eaten, ceremonies and fiestas.
Throughout the story there are words and phrases written in Spanish and then translated into English so that all readers can understand the text. Each chapter also is written in large Spanish words for the fruits of the harvest and below they are translated in English.
The underlying theme of the story encompasses that through the fall of wealth, Esperanza discovers the importance of loyalty, faith, family and friends and that with courage and with every challenge good does come through.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal: “Easy to booktalk, useful in classroom discussions, and accessible as pleasure reading, this well-written novel belongs in all collections.”

Booklist: “The symbolism is heavy-handed, as when Esperanza ominously pricks her finger on a rose thorne just before her father is killed. But Ryan writes movingly in clear, poetic language that children will sink into, and the books offer excellent opportunities for discussion and curriculum support.”
5. CONNECTION
Ryan, Munoz Pam. PAINT THE WIND. ISBN 9780439873628
Ryan, Munoz Pam. RIDING FREEDOM. ISBN 9780439087964
Ryan, Munoz Pam. OUR CALIFORNIA. ISBN 9781580891172

John Henry

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lester, Julius. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York. Dial Books. ISBN 0803716060.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
John Henry is based on several versions of an African American folk tale. The story begins with John Henry’s birth in which all the animals from the forest come to observe. As a child he helps his dad build “a wing onto the house with an indoor swimming pool and one of them jacutizis”-and that’s before lunch. As John Henry gets older he grows to such an enormous size that his family’s home can no longer accommodate him. He sets out to meet other challenges that will allow him to use his strength and determination like, removing huge boulders without using dynamite and swinging his hammer so hard that he makes a rainbow around his shoulders. In his final competition, John Henry battles against a steam drill to cut through a mountain when he hammered so hard and so fast that his heart burst. Those who watched understood that “dying ain’t important… What matters is how well you do your living.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
John Henry was written by Julius Lester and illustrated by Jerry Pikney and was awarded the Caldecott Honor Book in 1990. The story begins with John Henry’s birth and continues as he becomes strong, fast, and fearless and eventually so enormous that he can no longer live in his family’s house. John Henry sets out to find his own destiny by working different jobs such as moving large boulders, and hammering through mountains. Lester uses imagery and personification to describe John Henry’s laugh, “ the sun got scared. It scurried from behind the moon’s skirts and went to bed, which is where it should’ve been anyways.” The language that is used is southern black dialect which is heard throughout which helps to bring accuracy to the time period that is presented. Jerry Pinkney enhances the text by using pencil, colored pencils and watercolors to illustrate John Henry’s character. Pinkney depicts the time period with accuracy through the clothing and hairstyles that are presented. He also uses different shades of light and dark colors to reflect the different skin tones. Though the underlying theme of magic is present in parts of the story, like most tall tales, the reader stays grounded in a setting that is of the “real world.” Even though no one really knows if John Henry was real or not, through Julius Lester and Jerry Pikney’s text and illustrations, readers will understand that he symbolizes the working man and his determination to do his best and that he is “larger than life.”

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Guide: “The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent.

School Library Journal: “Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus (Dial, 1987) fame. Based on several well-known versions of an African American folk ballad, Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times.”


5. CONNECTION
Other Tall Tale Characters:

Kellog, Steven. PAUL BUNYAN. ISBN 9780688058005.
Gleeson, Brian. PECOS BILL. ISBN 9780887080814.
Lindbergh, Reeve. JOHNNY APPLESEED. ISBN 9780316526340.

Goin' Someplace Special

1. BIOGRAPHY
McKissack, C. Patricia. 2001. GOIN SOMEPLACE SPECIAL. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689818858

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Goin’ Someplace Special is about ‘Tricia Anna, an African American girl who is growing up in the 1950’s where segregation was a big part of life. Tricia Anna had a special place that she and Mamma Frances would go together but today, Tricia Anna wanted to travel alone. Mamma Frances hesitantly decides to let Tricia Anna go by herself. As Tricia Anna ventures out she encounters many obstacles of segregation that hinder her from finding her “Special Place.” These obstacles include sitting at the back of the bus, not being able to sit on benches marked “whites only,” and being shoved into the grand hotel only to be told she doesn’t belong because of her skin color. As despair falls on Tricia Anna, she runs into Blooming Mary who helps her to find her confidence to continue her journey. As Tricia Anna sets out to find her special place once more her determination pays off and she finds herself in front of her final destination, “ The Public Library,” where it reads, “PUBLIC LIBRARY: WHERE All ARE WELCOMED.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Goin’ Someplace Special is based on Patricia McKissack’s childhood experience growing up in Nashville, Tennessee during the 1950’s. Mckissack takes the readers back to the past when segregation was a major issue and signs were hung everywhere showing places that were off limits to people of color. The author writes about the reality and what it meant for African Americans during the 1950’s through the eyes of ‘Tricia Ann a young girl who saw firsthand how she and others were treated due to their skin color. She encountered segregated seating on buses and in movie theaters, benches that read “whites only” and a young girl telling her brother that, “ colored people can’t come in the front door. They got to go ‘round and sit up in the Buzzard’s Roost.” Even though ‘Tricia Ann is hurt by these barriers, she meets Blooming Mary who helps to convince her to hold her head high and continue her journey to her special place. The author makes it very clear that the theme of this story is about segregation but it is also clear that it is about determination. Through ‘Tricia Ann’s determination and support system from home she does find her way. The dialect that Mckissack uses depicts an old southern style of the time period and language of African Americans which helps connect the reader to the time period with statements like, “hold yo’ head up and act like you b’long to somebody.” and “Don’t let those signs steal yo’ happiness.”
Jerry Pinkney’s use of watercolor illustrations brings visual imagery to the well written text. Together the text and illustrations help readers to feel a connection to the life of the American African community during the segregation era. Throughout the book, the illustrations portray the different skin-tones, hairstyles, transportation and the typical clothes worn during the 1950’s.
I would recommend this book for any library or classroom. This book would be a great way to begin a lesson for Black History Month or in discussions that deal with civil rights and segregation.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Horn Book Guide: “McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.”

Kirkus Review: “Pinkney's trademark watercolors teem with realistically drawn people, lush city scenes, and a spunky main character whose turquoise dress, enlivened with yellow flowers and trim, jumps out of every picture. A lengthy author's endnote fills in the background for adults on McKissack's childhood experiences with the Nashville Public Library. This library quietly integrated all of its facilities in the late 1950s, and provided her with the story's inspiration. A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questions and discussion that are sure to follow.”

School Library Journal: “Pinkney re-creates the city in detailed pencil-and-watercolor art angled over full-page spreads, highlighting the young girl with vibrant color in each illustration. A thought-provoking story for group sharing and independent readers.-“

5. CONNECTION
Mckissack, Patricia C. MIRANDY AND BROTHER WIND. ISBN 9780679883333.
Mckissack, Patricia C. FLOSSIE AND THE FOX. ISBN 9780803702509.
Mckissack, Patricia C. MA DEAR’S APRONS. ISBN 9780689832628.

Miracle's Boys

1. BIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2000. Miracle’s Boys. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399231137

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Miracle’s Boy is a sad but heart-warming story of three brother’s struggle to stay together after the death of their diabetic mother. With the death of their mother, each brother deals with her death in different ways. Thirteen year old Lafayette blames himself for the death of his mother after finding her on the bed in a diabetic coma. Ty’ree puts his plans of attending MIT on hold so he can raise and keep his two younger brothers together. He also carries around the guilt of not being able to save his dad from drowning several years ago in the park. Charlie, the middle brother has just returned from two years in reform school bitter, angry and getting involved with a gang. Charlie soon brings trouble that could be the cause of his families’ separation but he turns to his brothers for help. Despite all the hurtful and mean things Charlie has done, his brothers come together to help Charlie and keep from becoming wards of the state.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Miracle’s Boys is a heart wrenching story about three brother’s struggle to stay together and survive in New York after the death of their mother. The story is narrated by Lafayette, the youngest of the three brothers. Readers will be drawn to Lafayette because of the personal feelings and experiences that he divulges about himself, brothers and his mother. One such experience is when Lafayette is taken to a Psychiatrist to help him with his mother’s death. When he goes he states, “I wasn’t afraid, ‘cause the warm blanket smell felt like it was covering me up, protecting me.” (pg.84) Lafayette blames himself for not helping his mother although there was nothing he could do and Ty’ree which is the older brother carries the guilt of sending his dad to his death by helping a lady and her dog that has fallen in the water, therefore causing their dad to die of hyperthermia. Charlie, the middle brother carries the guilt of his mother remembering him last with hand cuffs on instead of sitting on the couch with her making her laugh.
There are cultural markers sprinkled throughout the story, starting with the urban city and African – American dialect that is used by the brothers. This is evident with statements like, “How he gonna sharpen it on the floor, yo?”, “Then let’s step.” And “Yo back.” Other cultural markers include the exposure to gangs and wanting to become a rapper which is associated with teens that are in the larger urban cities, LaFayette explaining that his Aunt called him beautiful so he looks at himself in the mirror and describes himself as “dark and curly headed with brown eyes.” Another marker is when LaFayette realized they were poor and how they struggled to have just enough to pay the rent and put food on the table.
Woodson does an excellent job in writing a story that shows the progression of the three brother’s characters from grief stricken, being involved in crime, blaming oneself for a death to a new beginning and hope for the future.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Horn Book Guide: “This compelling novel about three African-American brothers is oddly reminiscent of S. E. Hinton's early novels, with its streetwise, self-sufficient orphans. Although there is little action in a story that is told almost entirely through dialogue and thirteen-year-old Lafayette's thoughts and memories, the narrator's voice maintains a tone of sweet melancholy that is likely to hold the attention of thoughtful young teens.”

School Library Journal: “The narrative is told through dialogue and Lafayette's introspections so there is not a lot of action, but readers should find this story of tough, self-sufficient young men to be powerful and engaging.-“

Kirkus Review: “Readers will be caught up in this searing and gritty story of their struggle; Woodson composes a plot without easy answers, and creates characters for whom predictable behavior is all but impossible. A decent, involving novel about a family struggling to remain intact in spite of tremendous obstacles.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Woodson, Jacqueline. ON THE OTHER SIDE. ISBN 9780399231162
Woodson, Jacqueline. IF YOU COME SOFTLY. ISBN 9780142406014
Woodson, Jacqueline. HUSH. ISBN 978014240607

Breadwinner

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellis, Deborah. 2000. THE BREADWINNER. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books.
ISBN 0888994192

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Breadwinner is about 11 year old Parvana living in Kabul Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. Parvana and her family live in a one room apartment in a building that has been bombed. Since the overtake of the Taliban, women and girls are not allowed to leave their homes without a male escort, attend school, or hold jobs. One night while the family is sitting around the table, soldiers barge in and arrest Paravna’s father and take him away, leaving the family in a desperate situation. Since Paravan’s mother and older sister are not allowed outside and the other siblings are too young, the family makes a desperate decision to transform Parvana into a boy so that she can earn enough money to support and feed the family. While working as a boy, Parvana meets another girl working as a boy, and together they work different jobs to meet the needs of their families in a time of danger.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Debora Ellis has written a story that portrays the culture in the Middle East. Through Parvana, the main character, readers will understand the different emotions of fear, hunger, desperation and hopelessness that children in the Middle East feel as they live each day. Kabul, Afghanistan is the setting for this story during the Taliban take over. Ellis helps to give the reader a visual image of how Kabul is by describing how Norria remembers it being beautiful with lights that changed color, evening trips to restaurants and cinemas and browsing in fine shops for clothes and books. Parvana on the other hand, being born after the Taliban siege, describes Kabul as a city in ruins due to the bombings. Throughout the story Ellis shows the cruel treatment of women and girls by the Taliban soldiers. An example is when Parvana and her mother go to the jail to find her father, and they are beaten with sticks across their backs outside the jail by the soldiers. Women and girls are not allowed on the streets without a male escort and must be covered from head to toe by burgos. Ellis does not spare the readers when she describes beatings, imprisonment, amputations and mass killings in the book, which help to further create the reality and authenticity of the characters and plot.
The language that Ellis uses helps the readers to connect to the Middle East through descriptions of nan (bread), chador (cloth worn by women and girls to cover their hair and shoulders), burgo (tent-like garment worn by women and girls to cover them completely), and toshak(narrow mattress) which exposes them to a powerful and authentic vocabulary.
At the beginning, Parana’s father goes into the city to work to keep his family from poverty and hunger, but when the Taliban soldiers come to arrest him, Parvana’s mother falls into depression leaving her and her siblings with no means of support and desperate for help. As a friend of the family joins them and brings encouragement to them, the decision is made to transform Parvana into a boy so that she can go out and work to help feed the family. As the transform begins we also see Pavana’s character develop into a well rounded person as the need for survival becomes a necessity for her and her family. This story will certainly bring up discussions about the culture of the Middle East and the harshness that was brought upon the people of Kabul and other communities around.



4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Horn Book Guide: “The obstacles faced by women under the repressive regime are convincingly and sympathetically portrayed as Parvana's story unfolds.”

Voice of Youth Advocate: “The oppressiveness of the Taliban government and the war-torn devastation of Afghanistan are clearly illustrated by Parvana's family situation. The realistic ending of the novel invites a sequel and offers some hope for Parvana's survival.”

Booklist: “The Breadwinner is a potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive and sexist social conditions.”


5. CONNECTION
Ellis, Deborah. PARVANA’S JOURNEY. ISBN 9780888995193
Ellis, Deborah. MUD CITY. ISBN 9780888995421

Koala Lou

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 1988.KOALA LOU. ILL by Pamela Lofts. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152005021

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This story is about Koala Lou who likes her mother to tell her she loves her. But when her mother’s attention begins to be shared with the new additions to her family, Koala longs to hear her mother say “Koala Lou, I do love you.” Koala decides to compete in the Bush Olympics in hopes to win back her mother’s attention. When Koala doesn’t win the race up the gum tree, she begins to realize that her mother loves her for who she and not because she wins or loses the race.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Kola Lou is a heartwarming story about a Koala who feels insecure with the arrival of her new siblings and her mother’s attention that must now be shared. Young readers will be able to relate to this story and the emotions that it presents. Mem Fox, who is the author, is a native of Australia and brings to the story her knowledge and background which creates a story with authenticity. There are several cultural markers that are found throughout the story. These markers include the setting which takes place in the Outback of Australia and incorporates a koala as the main character which is a native animal of that region. Other animals that Fox presents in the story include the emu, platypus, kookaburra, and the kangaroo which are all natives animals found in Australia. When Koal decides to enter a tree climbing contest to help get back her mother’s attention, Fox chooses to use a gum tree which is also native to Australia. The language that Fox uses reflects the region of Australia and is evident when Koala Lou’s mother asks, “ How’re ya goin’ blossom?”
Pamela Loft illustrates this story with colored pencil drawings that are bright, colorful and creatively done. The illustrations enhance the already heartwarming text together to bring both emotion and visual imagery to the story which will invite readers to read this story time and time again.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Horn Book Guide: “In a gentle tale set in the Australian bush, Koala Lou wants to win the Bush Olympics. A good choice for story hour, bedtime, or reading aloud”

Publisher Weekly: “Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species”

5. CONNECTION:
Other books by Mem Fox

Fox, Mem. POSSUM MAGIC. ISBN 9780152632243
Fox, Mem. WHOEVER YOU ARE. ISBN 9780152060305
Fox, Mem. TOUGH BORIS. ISBN 9780152018917

The Shadows of Ghadames

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stolz, Joelle. 1999. THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES. New York; Delacorte Press. ISBN 0440419492

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Shadows of Ghadames is a historical fiction which takes place in the Libyan city of Ghadames at the end of the nineteenth century. The story is about eleven year old Malika who is quickly approaching her twelfth birthday where she will be at the marriageable age and be restricted to the world of women. In Ghadames, these restrictions confine woman to doing their house duties on the upper levels of their homes and visiting with each other on the roof tops while men conduct business in alleyways and boys play in the streets. Malika dreams of traveling beyond her city but must comes to terms that she is tied to the traditions of her people, until one night when a stranger comes into their home and offers her a chance to grow and explore the world outside her city by teaching her to read.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Joelle Stolz has written a story that portrays the life and traditions of Ghadames, a Muslim community in Libya around the end of the nineteenth century.
Stolz weaves several cultural markers which creates a sense of accuracy and authenticity to the story. Within the story the cultural markers include married women wearing veils to cover their faces and gold coins across their foreheads, the uncle having authority over the women of the house when the brother is gone and the discussion of two sets of descendents one of lighter skin and the other darker skin and the Berber dialect and the soft sounding Hausa language. The Muslim culture is explored and helps readers understand the issues and restrictions that are put on the Muslim women living in Ghadames. These restrictions include women being confined to their homes and only being allowed to roam the city by rooftops, taking off their jewelry when the man of the house is gone, and performing daily chores that include housekeeping, cooking and food preservation. Through the point of view of a twelve year old girl, Malika, readers will see the strained relationship between Malika and her brother because of Malika’s jealousy toward him because she is not allowed to attend school, learn to read or travel with her father throughout the city. The author also reveals the submissiveness that women are under when Malika makes the statement, “men step putting their heels down first, in manly, self-confident fashion, and women put their toes down first, timidly, in a way that befits and inferior creature. That’s how we’re taught to walk by our mothers when we’re very little and heaven help us if we forget it!”
The dialect that Stolz uses helps to connect the reader to the Muslim Cultures. This dialect included vocabulary such as Jinn(spirits), malafa (rectangle of embroidered wool tied under the chin with laces that girls wear on their heads until married), Kerna (wide, hard base of a palm tree branch) and burnoose (clothing). This vocabulary helps to enhance and give authenticity to the culture and story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist: “The vivid backdrop is intoxicating, but the story's universal concerns will touch readers most: sibling jealously, confusion about adult customs, and a growing interest in a world beyond family.”

5. CONNECTION
Other fictional books that deal with the Middle East:
Nye, Shihab Naomi. SITTI’S SECRET. ISBN 9780689817069
Khan, Rukhsana. THE ROSES IN MY CARPET. ISBN 9781550050691

First Part Last

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster.

ISBN 0689849222

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Bobby is a young man who likes to spend time skipping school, going to the movies and hanging out with his two best friends. On Bobby’s sixteenth birthday, his girlfriend Nia informs him that she is pregnant. With pressure from their parents, Bobby and Nia decide to give the baby up for adoption, but before the adoption takes place, tragedy strikes Nia, and Bobby finds himself keeping their baby girl Feather, and raising her on his own.

3. CRITICAL ANALSYSIS

In the First Part Last, the readers will feel and hear the story through the eyes of sixteen year old Bobby who has been told by his girlfriend Nia, that she is pregnant. Johnson has written this story with alternating chapters between “then” and “now”. The “then” chapters tells about Nia and Bobby’s struggles that the pregnancy presents and the difficult decision of putting their baby up for adoption due to the pressure put upon them by their parents. The “now” chapters are about Bobby’s struggle to raise his daughter, Feather, as a single parent due to a tragedy that takes Nia. These struggles include staying up at night and then having to go to school, bathing, feeding, changing diapers, and getting Feather to the babysitters on time. This story is written with sensitivity but the reality of teenage pregnancy and the obstacles, love and emotions that come with raising a child as a single parent.

The setting of this story takes place in Bobby’s childhood home and neighborhood in New York. The setting helps to set the tone of the story. Although Bobby comes from a home where his father owns his own restaurant and his mom is a photographer, Bobby still has some rough edges about him, for example when he defaces public property by drawing graffiti on a wall. Bobby does a lot of remembering back on his own childhood when he starts to experience things now as Feather’s father such as the nurse that he knew growing up helping him with feather when she is sick, and the babysitter he had growing up is now Feathers.

When reading this story of emotions and struggles the reader will clearly understand the theme which is accepting responsibilities and the true meaning of sacrifice.

The language can sometimes be rough, harsh and can describe issues that are more appropriate for older readers. The concept of the story can be a great way to start discussions on teenage pregnancy and the responsibilities and consequences that come along with it.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publishers Weekly: “A 16-year-old tells the story of how he became a single dad. In a starred review of this companion to Heaven, PW said, "The author skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain.”

School Library Journal: “In this lyrical novel, 16-year-old Bobby narrates his journey into teenage fatherhood, struggling to balance school, parenting, and friends who simply do not comprehend his new role and his breathtaking love for his daughter.” Winner of the 2004 SRT Coretta Scott King Author Award and the 2004 YALSA Michael L. Printz Award for literary excellence.

Voice of Youth Advocate: “This well-written book is not like anything that I've ever read before. It goes fast and has realistic fiction, romance, and suspense all in one. Most teen pregnancy books are about what the girl goes through, but this one is written from a different, exciting angle. Both girls and boys can read it.”

5. CONNECTION

Another book about a boy raising a child:

Bechard, Margaret. HANGING ON TO MAX. ISBN 9780689862687

Other books by Angela Johnson:

Johnson, Angela. HEAVEN. ISBN 9780689822902

Johnson, Anglea. IDREAM OF TRAINS. ISBN 9780689826092

Princess Academy

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hale, Shannon. 2005. PRINCESS ACADEMY. New York, New York: Bloomsbury Publishing.

ISBN 9781582349930

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Princess Academy is about a group of mountain girls who have been selected to attend the Princess Academy in order to learn the etiquettes and responsibilities of a princess. After learning these skills, the prince will choose the girl that graduates at the top of the academy to be his bride. Fourteen year old Miri, who has never been able to work in the quarry with the other members of her family will journey to the academy with the desire to learn everything she can and excel to the top so she can make her family proud, only to find that she will encounter bitter competition with the other girls along with her own inner conflict on whether or not she wants to be chosen as the prince’s bride. Feeling as though she is an outcast, Miri begins secretly experimenting with the mysterious language called, “quarry speech” that her people use while mining the linder stones. She will soon realize that this language can be used outside her village and will eventually help save the academy from a dangerous situation that Miri and the other students will be faced with.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story takes place in a medieval setting that has a hint of magic sprinkled throughout but not enough that makes this world unrealistic. The magic is not overwhelming or unbelievable. It comes from the people of Mount Eskel and the mountain itself. The story is told from the viewpoint of Miri. Miri, who is the central character, along with other girls from her village are selected to attend a princess academy so they may be groomed to become the prince’s bride. There is a fierce competition between the girls that takes place leaving Miri feeling like an outcast. Through secretly experimenting with the “quarry speech” that her people use while working in the linder mines, Miri’s insecurities and adversities that she encounters will soon help her to evolve into the heroine of the story, find her inner strength and develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of her mountain culture. Several underlying themes are present in the story; loyalty, friendship, and choices that are made can affect others. These themes help set the tone and help the reader get a look into the characters themselves.

There is a hint of a love interest between Miri and Peder but it doesn’t develop into much. I think because this is a story geared toward older students, I would like to have seen this more developed, because it wasn’t I was a little disappointed and I think the older readers will be too.

Within the story Hale offers a bit of revelation which is “knowledge is a powerful tool.” She show this when Miri has come back from the academy and begins explaining to the villagers that the linder stones they have been mining and selling at low prices are actually very valuable to the lowlanders. She helps them to understand that their trading and selling potential will change their way of living and future for the better.

I think this book overall is a great book about the coming of age and I would recommend it to preteens, teenagers and adults. For those who may get deterred from reading this book because it has the word “Princess” in it, take a chance and read it anyways you will be surprised.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Guide: “Hale's writing is clear and her descriptions vivid. Her imaginary world, peopled by strong yet vulnerable characters, is quietly memorable.”

Publisher’s Weekly: “Readers enchanted by Hale's Goose Girl are in for an experience that's a bit more earthbound in this latest fantasy-cum-tribute to girl-power.”

Voice of Youth Advocate: “Although many people who read this book will not have any connection to Miri's way of life (people usually don't tend goats high on a mountainside their whole lives), Hale's writing places you in the book, so you feel you can relate. The plot seems predictable, like any other book of its genre, but it has a twist that sets it apart and makes it all the more enjoyable.”

5. CONNECTION

Other books by author:

Hale, Shannon. THE GOOSE GIRL. ISBN 9781582349909

Hale, Shannon. ENNA BURNING. ISBN 9781582349060

Hale, Shannon. THE RIVER SECRETS. ISBN 9781582349015

Hale, Shannon. A BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS. ISBN 9781599900513

Artemis Fowl

1. BIBILIOGRPAHY

Colfer, Eoin. 2001. ARTEMIS FOWL. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

ISBN 0786808012

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Artemis Fowl is a twelve year-old boy who is both a genius and a criminal mastermind. He comes from a long line of criminals and is the heir of his father’s once billion dollar dynasty. He is technologically advanced and psychologically clever. His father has disappeared and is believed to be dead and his mother hallucinates and has become distraught. Although Artemis’s is still considered a millionaire he sets out to regain his dad’s once billion dollar status that has been lost since the his dad’s disappearance. To regain the money lost, Artemis demises a plan that includes the kidnapping of a fairy and holding her ransomed for an exchange of fairy gold. Knowing that fairies are bound by rules and guidelines from “the book,” Artemis thinks he has an impeccable plan that will be successful. The plan seems to be flawless but unknown to Artemis; he kidnaps a brazen fairy that isn’t one to mess with. When her comrades come to her rescue and stop following the fairy rules, Artemis’s plans are hurled into pandemonium leaving him to deal with devilish dwarfs, raging trolls and deadly bio-boms.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Artemis Fowl is a fantasy novel about a 12 years old criminal mastermind set out to restore his family’s billion dollar dynasty by kidnapping a fairy and asking for a ransom of fairy gold. The setting for this story is primarily set in Ireland at Fowl Manor and in the underworld land where the fairies escaped to, when humans took over the earth. Artemis is the protagonist and comes across as cold hearted with no emotional ties to anyone in the beginning of the story but by the end his character develops and begins showing guilt and compassion for his family. This is seen when Artemis is willing to part with half the fairy gold in exchange for a wish by Holly, to restore his mother’s sanity. The antagonist of this story is Captain Holly Short who is a feisty fairy and part is part of the LEP (Lower Element Police) and she has been abducted by Artemis Fowl. Although the story has a protagonist and antagonist there really isn’t a hero in this story that the reader can cling to by the end. Colfer makes it clear that the underlying themes are greed and the conflict between good and evil. Even though this conflict is throughout the story it never comes across as too intense. This book combines fantasy and science fiction elements giving readers a story that will keep them intrigued and wanting more. These elements include a criminal dwarf, angry troll, fairies and their use of mesmer ( magic used to entrance people), time stop(tool used to stop time using magic), bio-bomb (high tech bomb that kills living tissues and leaves everything else untouched) and many other fantastical elements that bring this story to life. For readers who like to decipher codes, they will notice that Colfer has created a chain of symbols that represent a code that can be cracked by using the website that is presented at the end of the book.

4. REVIEW EXCEPRT(S)

Library Journal: “The quirky characters and delightful humor of his latest work will undoubtedly delight American readers as well.”

Booklist: “The result is sheer mayhem, laced with high technology and magical goings-on. Characterizations and dialogue enhance a rollicking tale that will have readers rolling on the floor and eagerly anticipating the planned sequel as well as the movie in the works for 2002.”

5. CONNECTION:

Colfer, Eoin. THE ARCTIC INCIDENT. ISBN 9780786851478

Colfer, Eoin. THE ETERNITY CODE. ISBN 0786819146

Colfer, Eoin. ARTEMIS FOWL (THE OPAL DECEPTION). ISBN 9781423103998

Colfer, Eoin. THE LOST COLONY. ISBN 0786849568

Colfer, Eoin. THE TIME PARDOX. ISBN 9781423108368

The Barn

1. BIBILIOGRAPHY

Avi. 1994. THE BARN. New York, New York: Orchard Books. ISBN 0531087115

2. PLOT SUMMARY

The Barn is set in 1855. 9year-old Ben has been brought home to help his sister Nettie and brother Harrison to manage their homestead due to their father becoming incapacitated with “palsy.” Ben believes that building the barn that his dad had once dreamed of will be the key to his recovery. Ben must persuade Nettie and Harrison to help construct the barn and to give it as a gift to their father. Together they will accomplish things that they thought were impossible.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

“The Barn” is a historical fiction that takes place in the Oregon territory in 1855. It is a heartwarming story that is about perseverance and what it means to be a part of a family unit. The protagonist of the story is Ben, a 9year-old boy that has been sent to boarding school because of his above intelligence and must come home early due to his father being stricken down by “palsy.” Avi writes this story through the eyes of Ben who is the narrator throughout. His point of view can sometimes be heart wrenching and shows emotions that anyone who has had to deal with a parent that is immobile can relate to. Example of this is when Ben says, “What shame I felt that he should be like a baby to me, who was his youngest son.”

Avi clearly depicts the era by describing the demands of pioneer life and the challenges that the three siblings must face in order to keep their homestead- fixing the house, chopping wood, plowing the fields, planting crops, breaking dirt clods with an ax, and taking care of a father who can’t move and is dying.

The one drawback of this book is too much time is spent on describing the building of the barn, which I think could lose the reader’s interest.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publisher’s Weekly: "This austere tale set in 1855 tells how the children of Oregon settlers are left to fend for themselves on the frontier," said PW, noting that "it will gratify those who seek a quiet, contemplative read." Ages 8-12.

Kirkus Review: “Ben's spare narrative is lovingly honed, the interaction of the characters drawn with sensitivity and skill. A small, quiet book that may appeal to perceptive readers.”

School Library Journal: “This novel may not have the wide appeal of some of Avi's earlier titles, but it is a thought-provoking and engaging piece of historical fiction.”

5. CONNECTION

Other books by Avi:

Avi. THE ESCAPE FROM HOME (BEYOND THE WESTERN SEA I). ISBN9780380728756

Avi. LORD KiRKLE’S MONEY (BEYOND THE WESTERN SEA II). ISBN 978038728763

Avi. THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE. ISBN 9780380728855

Elijah of Buxton

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Curtis, Paul Christopher. 2007. ELIJAH OF BUXTON. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc.

ISBN 0439023440

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Elijah Freeman is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada. Buxton is a safe haven for runaway slaves where they can rule themselves and are away from the abomination of slavery that is just across the border in Detroit. This story begins in 1859 when Elijah Freeman is eleven years old and has only known the comfort of freedom where he spends the majority of his time doing chores, fishing, playing and going to school. He spends a lot of time trying to convince his parents and others that he is grown-up but to no avail until a tragic incident happens. Elijah is thrown into a dangerous journey when his friend, Mr. Leroy loses the money he has saved to purchase his family from a slave owner, to the town preacher who is crooked. Elijah must venture over the border where slavery is still present to recover the money. This perilous journey will thrust Elijah into a world that is cruel and full of prejudice that he has never known before.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Elijah of Buxton is a Newberry Honor Book that includes humor, suspense, and heartache. Curtis has written this story in a first person narrative, through the youthful voice of eleven year old, Elijah Freeman. He built this story around elements of realism including the community of Buxton which was actually established in 1849 for runaway slaves, the abuse of slaves, and the separation of families The dialect used captures the true language of the time period and therefore sets the tone beautifully throughout the story. Example of the dialect include when Elijah’s pa is explaining to him that the joke he pulled on his ma will be dealt with when he tells him, Pa said, “ Past a wart or two, I don’t think the toady-frog’s gunn cause you no grieving. But your ma…” He whistled low and long, “ she’s a whole ‘nother story.”

Curtis begins this story by setting a carefree approach by explaining Elijah Freeman’s life of freedom by fishing, doing chores, playing and going to school and church. Elijah has never known slavery because he was the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada. Due to the fact that Elijah has never grown up in slavery, he does not appreciate the hardships and cruelty that his family and neighbors have had to overcome for their freedom. With his mom calling him “fragile” because he cries all the time, Elijah has a hard time convincing everyone that he is grown up. As the story becomes more involved, Curtis begins to change the carefree tone to a darker mood as the crooked preacher steals money that was to be used to purchase Mr. Leroy’s family from slavery. Elijah is kidnapped by Mr. Leroy and begins a dangerous journey that will begin his climb to maturity and reveal the brutality of slavery. Curtis does not sugarcoat slavery but addresses it through Elijah’s point of view, “ But now I could see our playing didn’t have anything to do with the truth. I could see how it was a whole lot harder when things were real and you had to worry ‘bout shotguns and chains and coughing little babies and crying folks without no clothes.” The ending is very powerful and uplifting but may be disturbing to younger readers due to the violent and somewhat graphic subject matter but for older readers it will keep them on the edge of their seats wanting more. The author’s note at the end will provide readers with more information on the authentic Buxton settlement and its establishment. This book is a great tool to use when studying slavery and freedom.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Voice of Youth Advocate: “A fascinating portrayal of history, a strong first-person narrative, and a most remarkable main character make this work perhaps the author's finest to date.”-

Booklist: “Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children's fiction. Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller.”

5. CONNECTION

Other books to read:

Curtis, Paul Christopher. THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINHAM. ISBN 9780440228004

Curtis, Paul Christopher. BUD, NOT BUDDY. ISBN 9780553494105