REVIEW: Darkwood

Breen, M.E.  (2009).  Darkwood.  New York:  Bloomsbury Children's Literature.

1599902591

An orphan named Annie (no relation to the musical Annie) lives with her uncle and aunt who are far from wonderful caregivers.  Annie misses her dead sister as well as her lost friend, Gregor, who along with many other children in the area has been taken by the beastly and hungry Kinderstalk.

Annie overhears her uncle planning to sell her into service at the Drop, a place that Annie is certain will lead to hear death.  Instead, she chooses to run away, an effort that will take her into the woods and on to many dangerous places with her two cats by her side.  Within her first hours of running, Annie encounters the kinderstalk as well as a strange scarred man who is looking for her and a child that is "marked."  What does this have to do with Annie and her new found ability to see in the dark (and, I would argue, her magic ability to overhear many important conversations at just the right time)?  Will she find her way to safety?    And will she be able to help other lost children?

This fantasy feels like a fairy tale, incorporating many of the same themes, tensions and relationships often present in such stories.  The forest described could easily be the Black Forest incorporated into many of the folktales the Grimm brothers collected.  But what is interesting is the fact that the main protagonist and the majority of helpful supporting characters are all female, something the Grimms never really managed.

While the writing is good, I found it easy as a reader to accidentally miss some plot points that could have been emphasized more.  Several time I asked myself, "Wait, how'd we get here?" or "What did I miss?"  Overall, this story never truly managed to completely capture my attention the way I would have liked it to.

Activities to do with the book:

 

Darkwood has a decidedly German fairytale vibe to it.  It could easily be paired with some of the Grimm's tales for comparison. 

In response to reading this book, students could write their own stories, create illustrations of the kinderstalk or their own invented beasts.  As they learn more about the kinderstalk, they could create new illustrations to show how their perceptions of the creatures have changed.

Since child labor is presented in the novel, a teacher could take this on as a moment to describe the history of child labor in the U.S., the laws preventing it, and how it continues to be an issue worldwide.  

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

 "The sun sets so quickly in Howland that the people who live there have no word for evening.  One minute the sky is blue or cloud gray, the next minute it is black, as though someone has thrown a heavy blanket over the earth" (p. 1).

"After seven centuries, you think the moon is going to show its face for you?  Come away from there now and set the table."

Annie Trewitt took a small step back from the window.  She had seen pictures of the moon in books, copied from older pictures in older books, copied from the oldest books of all" (p. 1).

 

"The Drop.  They were sending her to the Drop, and she would die there" (p. 8).

"Darling, what do you wish for?  The dark is drawing near" (p. 72).

"I have a message for the king, and I'm going to the palace to give it to him" (p. 88).

For more information, on Darkwood click here, or to find out more about M.E. Breen from other bloggers, check out the following links:

A Patchwork of Books, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Never Jam Today, My Utopia, Through a Child’s Eyes, Through the Looking Glass Reviews

REVIEW: Peace, Locomotion

Woodson, J.  (2009).  Peace, Locomotion.  New York:  G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

 

9780399246555

 

This sequel to Locomotion continues Lonnie’s story in the form of letters to his little sister (instead of as poems—although these letters certainly have a poetic feel, and a few poems are included throughout the narrative).  Lonnie is about to turn twelve.  He is still living with his foster mother Miss Edna and separated from his sister, Lili.  He hopes to someday be reunited with his sister, but in the mean time, he’ll keep writing letters so he can share the stories of their time apart. 

 

Lonnie is dealing with some new tensions.  The year before, he had a teacher who supported his writing this year’s teacher isn’t nearly as kind.  While Lonnie attempts to maintain confidence in his writing, he must also deal with his low math scores.

Plus, one of Miss Edna’s biological sons is missing in the war.  Through this, Peace, Locomotion indirectly shares many of the consequences of war.

As with Locomotion (which I reviewed here), Lonnie is still struggling with the way his family has changed since that awful night in December a few years ago.  With the help of one of his friends from school, he begins to realize there are many types of family.

Reading this book, I was even more impressed with Lonnie as a character than I had been with Locomotion.  He feels very authentic and loving.  I can't think of many other characters that I have felt as much compassion for.

 

 

Activities to do with the book:

 

After sharing Peace, Locomotion with students, a teacher could encourage students to make journal entries in an epistolary format or actually form friendships with pen pals in another school, state or country.

 

The book could open up discussion on foster homes, the loss of parents, sickle cell anemia, the Iraq war (or other wars), funding for education, etc.

 

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

“As you know, in a few days I’m going to be twelve.  That means two things:

1.     In six weeks, you’ll be nine.

2.     In nine more years, I’ll be twenty-one and then I’ll be old enough to take care of you by myself.  And when I’m twenty-one and you’re eighteen, I’ll still be your big brother and kind of like the boss of you.  But I won’t be mean.  And if you want, we can keep living in Brooklyn” (p. 3).

 

“Every day, the memories get a little bit more faded out of my head and I try to pull them back.  It’s like they used to be all colorful and loud and everything.  They’re getting grayer though.  And sometimes even the ones that used to be loud get real, real quiet.

Lili, do you remember?  There was a time when all of us were together.  There was a time before the fire and before nobody wanted to be my foster mama until Miss Edna came along.  There was a time before your foster mama came and said, “I’ll take the little girl but I don’t want no boys.”  You were the little girl, Lili.  And you didn’t want to go” (p. 7).

REVIEW: The Little Prince

De Saint-Exupery, A.  (2007).  The Little Prince.  New Delhi:  Heritage Publishers.

 

8170262259

 

After he has to make an unscheduled stop to repair his airplane in the Sahara Desert, an unnamed narrator encounters a lonely Little Prince who is visiting the planet.  Over the time that it takes the narrator, who is both child-like and has similar experiences to the author, to fix his plane he and the Little Prince talk and the narrator eventually learns of the prince’s journeys.

 

Throughout much of the text there is a sense of “us vs. them” between children and adults.  This is an aspect that many children will latch onto as being humorous.  I, myself, (perhaps as an adult *gasp*) grew tired of critique after critique of various adult jobs.   But this part of the text (roughly chapters 10 to 15) could be a way to jump into having students write their own (hopefully more positive) descriptions of their family members’ jobs.

 

This book includes a lot of quotable language and has illustrations that are recognizable to this book.  It explores issues of perspective, innocence, friendship, individuality, loneliness, etc.

 

 

Activities to do with the book:

 

Students could create their own drawings of asteroids, planets and animals (or even hats) in response to the text.  And a teacher could give a lesson on astronomy and the Earth's rotation.

 

Also, since the narrator was discouraged by grown-ups responses to his art when he was six-years-old, a teacher could have a tentative discussion about hopes for the future and never giving up, despite what others say.  (A teacher could even bring in Langston Hughes’s “Dreams” poem.

 

Since The Little Prince feels lonely and friendless throughout much of the story, a teacher could also begin a discussion on how to handle feelings of loneliness or how to make new friends.

 

For older middle-grade students, a teacher could also consider the way that the different adults living on the various asteroids the Little Prince visits are portrayed and why.  It is worth noting, one of the adults featured is an alcoholic, so a teacher could discuss substance abuse as an illness to help create a sense of sympathy and understanding instead of immediate judgements.

 

Also, students could listen to an audio track of a portion of the book in French to trigger young readers to take an interest in learning a second language.

 

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them” (p. 3).

 

“But on your tiny planet, my little prince, all you need do is move your chair a few steps.  You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like…” (p. 24).

 

“Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important?  Is this not of more consequence than a fat red-faced gentleman’s sums?  And if I know—I, myself—one flower which is unique in the world, which grows nowhere but on my planet, but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning, without even noticing what he is doing—Oh!  You think that is not important!” (pp. 28-29).

 

Don't miss TWEETS FROM SPACE! going down tonight on my twitter page @SJKessel.

REVIEW: Before You Were Mine

Boelts, M.  (2007).  Before You Were Mine.  New York:  G.P. Putnam's Sons.

9780399245268

In case you hadn't noticed, David Walker has a way with illustrating animals.

And let me tell ya, this picturebook packs an emotional punch.  A knock-out punch.

In Before You Were Mine, a boy contemplates where his dog had lived before becoming his pet.  The books shows the trouble that a puppy can cause, but also reinforces the fact that with the right family, a dog can feel loved.  The repetition of "Before you were mine..." reinforces a sense of belonging and happy ending for the dog and boy that allows the narrative to consider some of the less than ideal possibilities of what had happened to the dog previously--animal abuse or abandonment.  

The illustrations match the text well and, in the darker moments, manages to capture the sentiment of loneliness and pain without being controversial or startling.  For example, this is the illustration accompanying the the portion of the narrative implying abuse:

What's more, the text goes on to explore the fact that the boy's old dog had been put to sleep, but that the boy can have a new beginning with a shelter puppy.  So a teacher could also touch on issues of life and death.

Also, this is a book I recommend buying, because apparently the author, Maribeth Boelts will donate a portion of the profits to the Humane Society.

Activities to do with the book:

 

 This would be a wonderful book to share with children who have or are about to adopt a pet from an animal shelter.  It could trigger a discussion on the responsibilities and difficulties of having a young pet, as well as the fact that some animals are abused before being rescued and taken to a shelter.

Also, a teacher could gently enter into a discussion of physical or emotional abuse with children, using the dog as a metaphor for the experience.

 

This picturebook could also be an introduction or conclusion to the themes in Sharon Creech's Love that Dog.

Favorite Quotes:

 

"Before you were mine...Did you live in a warm house with warm smells, and a rug that was only yours?"

"Before you were mine, someone must have let you go..."

"Before you were mine...was someone mean to you?

Were you kept on a chain,

with a dusty bowl

and lonely sounds all around?

Did someone say, "Bad dog,"

even though it wasn't true?"

"Before you were mine...

they couldn't have known what they had

in a dog like you...

or they would have never let you go."

 

To find out more about illustrator David Walker's most recent book, Crocodaddy, visit the blogs listed below:

A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Pathcwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, Reading is My Superpower, SMS Book Reviews, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

 

 

REVIEW: Daddy-Long-Legs

Webster, J. (1989). Daddy-Long-Legs. New York: Puffin Books.

0140374558

Originally published in 1912, this classic shares the experiences of an orphan girl who is sent to college by an anonymous shareholder at her orphanage to become a writer. The one catch? Judy must send a letter to her benefactor each month, which she willingly does, while giving him the name Daddy-Long-Legs. As she wonders who the anonymous donor is, she adjusts to college, living outside of the orphanage and dealing with classmates who come from more privileged backgrounds than her own. She also struggles with deciding what to do as a career, her devotion to her benefactor and her relationships with one of her roommate’s brother and the other roommate’s uncle.

Readers, be warned, this is old-school chick lit. So, if a teacher wanted to incorporate it into their classroom, it would be best as an elective book or a book for literature circles. I’ll admit, I have assigned it to everyone in my undergrad classes, without warning them. But then, I’m cruel like that. And I think boys need to work on being able to take on female protagonists’ perspectives more often.

Also be warned, as the letters progress, Judy takes to calling her anonymous benefactor “Daddy,” a name that may feel slightly creepy under current cultural associations with the word. “Dear Daddy…” *Icky shiver*

This epistolary novel includes subtle references to early twentieth century culture, communism and the women’s movement that a teacher could latch onto and build lessons around. Also, since the book is built upon the assumption that given the opportunity, anyone can achieve, the book can be connected to the American dream or to biographies of real women how were economically successful at the time.

Also, Judy briefly considers how she engages with a novel and imagines herself in the role of a character (p. 84). A teacher could emphasize this moment and encourage students to do the same with the books they read.


Activities to do with the book:

Since the majority of the book is shared as letters, a teacher could share different types of letter writing (with technological allowance for learning how to write emails). A super-cool teacher, could also encourage a discussion on how texts, Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets could all be used to create ongoing narratives.

A teacher could also assign research paper or presentations on various aspects of the historical context or on real women who had biographies similar to Judy’s fictional narrative (Madam CJ Walker could be a starting point).

This is a good book to have students analyze for how relationships are influenced by power and how characters’ levels of power shift throughout the book.


Favorite Quotes:

“The first Wednesday in every month was a Perfectly Awful Day—a day to be awaited with dread, endured with courage, and forgotten with haste” (p. 1).

“Your board and tuition will be paid directly to the college, and you will receive in addition during the four years you are there, an allowance of thirty0five dollars a month. This will enable you to enter on the same standing as the other students. The money will be sent to you by the gentleman’s private secretary once a month, and in return, you will write a letter of acknowledgment once a month” (p. 8).

“Having somebody take an interest in me after all these years, makes me feel as though I had found a sort of family. It seems as thought I belonged to somebody now, and it’s a very comfortable sensation” (p. 14).

“It isn’t the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh—I really think that requires spirit” (p. 49).

“I put myself to sleep every night by pretending I’m the person (the most important person) in the book I’m reading at the moment” (p. 84).

REVIEW: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007). The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic Press.

0439813786

This Caldecott winner redefined what a picturebook is. Over five hundred pages long, The Invention of Hugo Cabret interweaves illustrations and text to create deeper meaning, many deeper meanings. Set in Paris in the 1930s, Hugo Cabret is an orphan living in the walls of the city’s train station, winding the clocks after his alcoholic uncle has disappeared. Involving magicians, silent films, dreams, trains, imagination and family, this books seeks to show the interconnections among various objects and people to create meaning and a fabulous invention.

While working in a museum, Hugo’s father, also a watchmaker, had discovered a mechanical man that a magician would have used to impress audiences in a show. The watchmaker becomes obsessed with trying to repair the machine. After his father dies in a fire, Hugo is taken in by his uncle and decides to take up his father’s work on the mechanical man, guided only by his father’s old notebook. That is, until the notebook is taken by an angry old shop owner in the train station. Having caught Hugo stealing mechanical parts, the old man takes the notebook from Hugo. To regain it, Hugo must partner with the goddaughter of the old man.

The book is split into two parts, in similar fashion to how some older movies contained two acts.

I have read this book three times. Each rereading has revealed more connections among the various elements of the text. Despite this, it is the presence of the illustrations that make this story extraordinary.


Activities to do with the book:

This is a wonderful book to share with students to encourage them to seek connections and make meaning of the text.

Since the book is so huge, but also consists of so many illustrations and pages only half-filled by text, it can bolster young or struggling readers’ confidence in their ability to read.

This book could be used to trigger lessons about Western culture in the 1930s. Students could research the history of movies, trains, magic shows, and even the rise of the Nazi party.


Favorite Quotes:

“I want you to picture yourself sitting in the darkness, like the beginning of a movie. On screen, the sun will soon rise, and you will find yourself zooming toward a train station in the middle of the city” (Introduction).

“But another story begins, because stories lead to other stories, and this one leads all the way to the moon“ (p. 255).

“If you’ve ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around. This is where they are made” (387).

REVIEW: Locomotion

Woodson, J. (2003). Locomotion. New York: SPEAK.

Locomotion consists of the poems written by eleven-year-old Lonnie, who is living in a foster home, separated from his sister. Through his poems, Lonnie works to rediscover his voice, his home and his family.

Also central to Lonnie’s story is his relationship with his teacher, Ms. Marcus. Since she is a white teacher working in a predominantly black urban school, a teacher could introduce a discussion of race, stereotypes, whiteness and issues of power.

Other issues present include subtle discussions of the Iraq War as well as initial exploration of faith in God.

Activities to do with the book:

Since Lonnie’s poems reference the work of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright, this National Book Award finalist lends itself to discussions of poets and writing. Lonnie often makes comments about the structures of his poems and would be a great entry point for a teacher to discuss poetic forms.

One of Lonnie’s classmates has Sickle Cell Anemia, so the book could be used to trigger a discussion of genetics. Also, while announcing that Sickle Cell Anemia affects African American, Woodson points out that a white teacher is saying this to a predominantly black class, so this could also lead to an early discussion of race and power relations within the classroom environment and beyond.


Favorite Quotes

“…the ideas in my
head go out like a candle and all you see left is this little
string of smoke that disappears real quick
before I even have a change to find out
what it’s trying to say” (p. 1).


“Outside it’s starting to rain and the way the rain comes
down—tap, tapping against the window—gets me to
thinking. Ms. Marcus don’t understand some things
even though she’s my favorite teacher in the world.
Things like my brown, brown arm” (p. 12-13).


“Up here the sky goes on and on like something
you could fall right up into.

And keep falling.
Fall so fast
and so far
and for so long you don’t
have to worry about where you’re gonna live next,

where you gonna be

if somebody all of a sudden
changes their mind about living with you” (p. 25).

REVIEW: The Willoughbys

Lowry, L. (2008). The Willoughbys. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

9780618979745


Lois Lowry, made famous for her explorations of distopias and historic moments in The Giver (1993) and Number the Stars (1998), went in a more humorous direction with The Willoughbys. I had wanted to say ‘a lighter direction,’ but alas, that would be mistaken. The plot features a family of four children attempting to rid themselves of their parents so they may become orphans. Don’t feel too bad for the parents though, they are also looking to be rid of their sons and daughter. While the lack of sympathy and sentimentality among the characters may shock a few, it will likely amuse most.

The Willoughbys includes reference after reference to classic or ‘old-fashioned’ children’s literature in what feels like an extensive running gag. A well-written running gag.

If a teacher were to choose to share it with students, he or she would have to be careful of the expectation of prior knowledge on the part of the reader as well as some of the jabs that could be viewed as marginally offensive to the French or Presbyterians. While the book includes humorous appendices of both the book’s vocabulary and references, few young readers would probably actually use it. On the plus side, even if the students don’t initially know what stories The Willoughby characters are referencing, I have no doubt it was Lowry’s goal that students might seek out some of those books after finishing her novel.

I couldn’t help but notice a slight-tiny-itty-bitty mistake with the narrative. The plot takes up several strands of narratives (which a teacher might have to provide support for anyway). The main plot takes place over several days, while weaving with another subplot that takes place over one afternoon (unless the reader is expected to believe a baby remained unattended and unfed on the porch of a mansion for several days). However, few will probably notice this discrepancy in the chronology of the narrative. I must admit I didn’t notice it until I was reading the book for the third time.

Activities to do with the book:

This would be a great book to use as a class read aloud. Students would no doubt be entertained by their teacher’s attempts at speaking faux-German. Plus this way the teacher could pause over vocabulary words, over characters mentioned and described from different perspectives and over references to classic children’s literature and encourage students to read those books. (There are enough books referenced that each student could probably be assigned to read one and report to the class about the plot)

The Willoughbys also would lend itself to enacting some parts of the narrative to help students visualize the scenes.


Favorite Quotes:

“Barnaby and Barnaby were ten-year-old twins. No one could tell them apart, and it was even more confusing because they had the same name; so they were known as Barnaby A and Barnaby B. Most people, including their parents, shortened this to A and B, and many were unaware that the twins even had names” (p. 11).

“Their lives proceeded in exactly the way lives proceeded in old-fashioned stories.
One day they even found a baby on their doorstep” (p. 13).

“Shouldn’t we be orphans?” Barnaby B asked” (p. 28).