Module Ten - Graphic Novels and Censorship Candidates

Graphic Novel - The Babysitters Club: The Truth About Stacey


Summary
Poor Stacey. She's moved to a new town. She's still coming to terms with her diabetes. She's facing baby-sitting problems left and right. And her parents are no help. Luckily, Stacey has three new, true friends -- Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne. Together they're the BSC, and they will deal with whatever's thrown their way -- even if it's a rival baby-sitting club!

Reviews

Gr 5-7 — Stacey is the new girl in town, She has made three good friends in a babysitters club but her memories of her old friends still haunt her. Many of them, including Her best friend, Laine, ditched her after she was diagnosed with diabetes. Her parents aren't much help; they keep dragging her from doctor to doctor looking for a miracle cure. All Stacey wants to do is manage her condition on her own terms. An impending trip back to New York and a rival babysitting club has Stacey confused and nervous. Will she be able to reconcile with Laine? Will this new group, complete with sitters who can stay up late, end the club for good? The graphic adaptation of the hugely popular series has as much heart as the original. The girls" dedication to the kids they care for and to their friendship never comes off as hokey. The black-and-white cartoons capture each character's personality; the facial expressions say a lot. Each girl has her own style. The outfits have been updated but the skirts haven't gotten shorter. A solid purchase for both school and public librarics.~~  Sadie Mattox

Kristy's great idea (978-0-439-73933-7), The truth about Stacey (978-0-439-73936-8), and Mary Anne saves the day (978-0-439-88516-4). Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic (Graphix), 2006-2007. $8:99. Grades 4-7. Raina Telgemeier, who is adapting the Baby-Sitters Club stories into graphic novels, first earned a reputation by self-publishing her own comics. Those little books about her life and memories of her childhood already featured crisp inking and confident lines that made every panel hum. The vibrancy of her early work continues in the tales of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey.

The strengths of the original stories remain in their new graphic life. Each of the girls has her own insecurities and goofy quirks, but those never run to cliché. In fact, each girl's problems and strengths blend in a refreshing way. Stacey, for example, is the thin, pretty, mildly boy-crazy new girl at school, and her initial shyness and refusal to eat the other girls' sweet snacks make it possible to write her off at first as a stereotype of girly femininity. But as the second volume reveals, Stacey is doing her best to overcome an illness that she has been told she must keep secret. Furthermore, she has learned from harsh experience that her secret can cost her friends, and trusting these new friends will take time. As the series continues, all the characters deepen, and Telgemeier's style portrays their growth lovingly. - Joe Sutiff Sanders

And so...

This series will be a great introduction to graphic novels and appeal especially to young girls in upper elementary. The artwork adds to the words on the page, deepening the story, but don't necessarily have the sinister look and hidden meanings that are in graphic novels for YA. Remaining true to the original series, this book will help young readers face problems in their lives by learning that others have the same or similar difficulties.

Use this book to...

Librarians can use this book to introduce graphic novels to upper elementary or middle school. There can be literature circles and discussion groups held to analyze the problems faced by characters and how they are handled in health classes and book clubs. Language teachers can use this as a writing lesson about storyboards and graphic novels.

References
Martin, Ann M. The Truth about Stacey: A Graphic Novel. Art by Raina Telgemeier. New York : Graphix, 2006.
Summary retrieved from Syndetic Solutions, Inc., Richardson Public Library Online Catalog, August 8, 2011.
Mattox, Sadie. School Library Journal, Mar2007, Vol. 53 Issue 3, p238-238, 1/5p
Sanders, Joe Sutliff. Teacher Librarian, Apr2008, Vol. 35 Issue 4, p19-19, 1/3p
Photograph retreived from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=FL1317750795S.132920&profile=rpl&uri=full%3D3100001%7E%21384256%7E%210&ri=1&term=The+truth+about+Stacey&index=.TW&uindex=&aspect=subtab26&menu=search&ri=1&view=SUMMARY&aspect=subtab26&menu=search&source=~!horizon&enhancedcontentdata=true%0A%09%09#focus



Censorship Candidates - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian


Summary
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Reviews
Screenwriter, novelist and poet, Alexie bounds into YA with what might be a Native American equivalent of Angela's Ashes, a coming-of-age story so well observed that its very rootedness in one specific culture is also what lends it universality, and so emotionally honest that the humor almost always proves painful. Presented as the diary of hydrocephalic 14-year-old cartoonist and Spokane Indian Arnold Spirit Jr., the novel revolves around Junior's desperate hope of escaping the reservation. As he says of his drawings, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He transfers to a public school 22 miles away in a rich farm town where the only other Indian is the team mascot. Although his parents support his decision, everyone else on the rez sees him as a traitor, an apple ("red on the outside and white on the inside"), while at school most teachers and students project stereotypes onto him: "I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other." Readers begin to understand Junior's determination as, over the course of the school year, alcoholism and self-destructive behaviors lead to the deaths of close relatives. Unlike protagonists in many YA novels who reclaim or retain ethnic ties in order to find their true selves, Junior must separate from his tribe in order to preserve his identity. Jazzy syntax and Forney's witty cartoons examining Indian versus White attire and behavior transmute despair into dark humor; Alexie's no-holds-barred jokes have the effect of throwing the seriousness of his themes into high relief. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)

Gr 8 Up --Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, is an unlikely hero in Sherman Alexie's semiautobiographical, National Book Award-winning novel (Little, Brown, 2007). Born with "water on the brain," Junior lives in poverty on an Indian reservation near Spokane, WA. When a teacher recognizes that the boy has hopes for his future, he encourages Junior to leave the reservation. At Rearden, an all-white school he commutes to daily, Junior becomes known as Arnold, but acceptance comes slowly. Through tenacity and humor, the teen tries to balance his school life with his life on the reservation. Narrated by the author.

And so...
This book shows the hard life of a teen-ager who wants better for himself than his family had, but who doesn't blame his family for the poverty in which they live. He is rejected by the other Indians because he goes to school off the reservation, and works so hard to better himself. He is rejected by the white people he goes to school with, because he is of Indian descent. The story is told with lots of humor, and the drawing that appear on at least every other page add to the irony of of his situation.

Use this book for...
Since this book is for older students, this book could be used in history studies for how Native Americans were, and in some instances, still are treated as lower class citizenry. Literature circls will be able to discuss issues of bullying, self respect, and self-improvement.

References:
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little Brown, 2007
Summary retrieved from Syndetic Solutions, Inc., Richardson Public Library Online Catalog, August 8, 2011.
 School Library Journal, Oct 2008 Curriculum Connections, Vol. 54, p61-61, 1/8p
Publishers Weekly, 8/20/2007, Vol. 254 Issue 33, p70-71, 2p
Photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1O13T7904R562.133453&profile=rpl&uri=full%3D3100001%7E%21399801%7E%210&ri=5&&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&ri=5&view=AUTHOR_NOTES&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&fullmarc=true&source=~!horizon&#focus

Module Nine - Poetry, Verse Novels, and Short Stories - August 1-7, 2011

Poetry - Once I Ate a Pie

Summary
Gus herds his people like sheep. Abby loves borrowing slippers. And once, Mr. Beefy ate a pie. It's a dog's life. Filled with squeaky toys, mischief, and plenty of naps. Every dog has a tail to wag and a tale to tell. Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest asked this collection of canines to speak up with their own words, barks, and yips.

Reviews
PreS-Gr 3-Free-verse poems about 14 individual dogs sprawl across oversize spreads accompanied by large oil illustrations. The poems and paintings together delightfully capture each distinct personality in few words and with broad strokes of the brush. The fonts change often and reflect the poet's words-rising and falling, sometimes in bold type, growing larger and smaller and dancing over the pages. The format allows for plenty of white space, emphasizing the postures and personalities of the pups and helping the playful fonts to stand out. The overall result is an entertaining visit with some very appealing canines, and a book that perhaps could serve as an inspiration in the classroom for young poets trying to describe their own pets. One wishes that the breeds were listed somewhere, but all in all, this title is still a real treat.-Judith Constantinides

An appealing cover image of a charming pug invites the reader into this ode to canine companions by the mother-and-daughter team. Fourteen short, non-rhyming poems introduce a variety of highly individualistic dogs, with the personality of each one captured in just a few revealing lines. The poems are written in first person with an innocent viewpoint appropriate to a dog's egocentric perspective on the world. Abby "borrows" bones, balls and slippers (and doesn't give them back); Mr. Beefy the pug steals butter (or even a cherry pie) from the table; and Lucy, adopted from a shelter, sleeps between her owners with her own pillow and teddy bear. Schneider's expressive paintings add to each dog's character, skillfully capturing distinctive breed characteristics, with expressive eyes and playful postures that indicate thorough knowledge of canine behavior. Thoughtful design elements include a trail of paw prints leading from the cover through the front matter into the text, varying type treatments and a mixture of illustration perspectives. (Poetry. 4-9) - Kirkus Reviews

And so...
This book is filled with colorful drawings of dogs of all ages, breeds, and sizes. Each spread has a title, not necessarily the name of the dog but definitely related to the dog or dogs pictured. Each poem is printed very sytlistically the words flying across pages, stair stepping, or curving. Some of the words are even separated letter by letter. This makes it that much more interesting to many young readers, who have not yet begun to "play" with their words.

Use this book for...
This book is a great way to introduce poetry, the 800 section of the library, writing stylistically, or to discover voice of a writer.

References
MacLachlan, Patricia. Once I Ate a Pie. New York : Joanna Cotler Books, 2006.
Summary retrieved from Syndetic Solutions, Inc., Richardson Public Library Online Catalog, August 8, 2011.
 Constantinides, Judith. School Library Journal, May2006, Vol. 52 Issue 5, p114-115, 2p
Kirkus Reviews, 5/1/2006, Vol. 74 Issue 9, p462-462, 1/4p
Photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1313N75D86W62.132221&profile=rpl&uri=link=3100007~!289428~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!horizon&term=Once+I+ate+a+pie+%2F&index=PALLTI#focus



Verse Novel - Crossing Stones


Summary
In their own voices, four young people, Muriel, Frank, Emma, and Ollie, tell of their experiences during the first World War, as the boys enlist and are sent overseas, Emma finishes school, and Muriel fights for peace and women's suffrage.

Reviews
Gr 6-10-The children of the Norman and Jorgensen families have grown up together, with their family farms located on either side of Crabapple Creek. In 1917, the outbreak of World War I shatters their idyllic lives: strong-willed Muriel opposes it, but the two young men, Frank and her brother, Ollie, enlist and are soon sent overseas. Muriel's lively personality comes alive in free-verse poems that roam across the page like the free-flowing waters of the creek. "My mind sets off at a gallop/down that twisty road, flashes by 'Young Lady,'/hears the accusation in it-as if it's/a crime just being young, and 'lady'/is what anyone can see I'll never be/.." The poems of Ollie and friend Emma are written in "cupped-hand" sonnets; their rounded shapes resemble the crossing stones of the creek and record their growing love. While the young men find themselves amidst the horrors of trench warfare, their families attempt to cope with their absence. Muriel travels to Washington, DC, to be with her aunt Vera, a suffragist who is recovering from a hunger strike; joins picketers at the White House; and helps out in a settlement house. Back home, youngest sister Grace comes down with influenza. Frost's warmly sentimental novel covers a lot of political, social, and geographical ground, and some of the supporting characters are not fully fleshed out. But this is Muriel's story, and her determined personality and independence will resonate with readers, especially those who've enjoyed the works of Karen Hesse. - Marilyn Taniguchi

Gr 6-10--This gripping story (Farrar, Straus, 2009) by Helen Frost about two neighboring families during the Great War relates personal perspectives on the war, the struggle for women's suffrage in the U.S., the Spanish flu, and the day-to-day hardships of a small farming community in Minnesota in 1918. A son from each of the two families enlisted to fight the war in Europe, and one was killed and the other was maimed. The main character, Muriel, is against the war, but has learned to moderate her opinion to keep peace in her home and with her neighbors. When Muriel's Aunt Vera takes part in a hunger strike in support of women's suffrage, the girl is sent to bring Vera back home. However, instead of returning home, Vera introduces her niece to suffragettes and the art of demonstration. Muriel, who has been wondering what to do with her life after graduating from school, finds purpose in speaking her mind and teaching children in the slums. Unlike the facts and figures memorized for history class, this story brings the people and the issues to life. The heartfelt personal narratives related by four voice actors involve listeners from the very beginning of the book. This is historical fiction at it best. - Ann Weber

And so...
This book is written for the experienced reader. It is seemingly short, divided into months and told by three of the four main characters in verse form. There are patterns within patterns in the verse, as each character shares whats in their minds and hearts as the world they knew changes during World War I. The switching of differing viewpoints throughout the story, and the way they all intertwine together, will be difficult for some readers.

Use this book to...
This book would be a great companion to a history study of World War I, looking deeper into how all the battles and strategies that are normally studied effected the every day lives of people not on the battlefield.


References
Frost, Helen. Crossing Stones. New York : Frances Foster Books, 2009.
Summary retrieved from Richardson Public Library Online Catalog, August 8, 2011.
Taniguchi, Marilyn. School Library Journal, Oct2009, Vol. 55 Issue 10, p126-126, 1/5p
Weber, Ann. School Library Journal, Nov2010, Vol. 56 Issue 11, p56-57, 2p,
Photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1313177D24T5B.132760&profile=rpl&uri=link=3100007~!398101~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!horizon&term=Crossing+stones+%2F&index=PALLTI#focus

Module Eight - Mystery and Series Books - July 25-31, 2011

Mystery - The Dark Stairs : a Herculeah Jones mystery

Summary - The intrepid Herculeah Jones helps her mother, a private investigator, solve a puzzling and frightening case.

Reviews

Move over, Encyclopedia, Sherlock, and Nancy - Herculeah is on the case. Byars's new heroine reminds the reader a bit of Bingo Brown as she finds herself in one tight spot after another. After all, with a police detective and a private eye for parents, Herculeah finds that curiosity and sleuthing come naturally. When Herculeah and her intrepid (if somewhat inept) sidekick, Meat, become intrigued by one of her mother's clients, a fast-paced mystery develops that doesn't require much effort from the reader to deduce or enjoy the puzzle. A welcome entry into the field for young mystery fans. ~ Elizabeth S. Watson

Gr 5-7. Move over Nancy Drew, Herculeah Jones has arrived! Strong and agile, she lives up to her name and seems capable of solving any case that comes her way; with a private investigator mother and police detective father, she has a natural interest in mysterious situations. In this first volume of what is sure to be a popular series, Herculeah becomes fascinated with a forbidding estate and a frightening-looking client of her mother's. She capitalizes on her contact in the police department (her father) and listens to her mother's recorded interviews with her client; by refusing to follow rules set by her parents when she is driven to get closer to the truth, she succeeds in closing a case. She escapes after being locked in a dark and musty basement and discovers a hidden staircase, at the bottom of which lays the long-missing dead owner of Dead Oaks. Byars has created a likable cast of main characters, Herculeah's friend Meat serves as the perfect comic foil for her intensity; he seems as if he could be a first cousin to Bingo Brown. There is plenty to laugh at in this book, including classic chapter headings guaranteed to cause shivers for the uninitiated; practiced mystery readers may feel that they are in on a bit of a joke and appreciate the hint of parody. This is a page turner that is sure to entice the most reluctant readers. - Ellen Fader

And so...
I found this to be an intriguing book, if not a bit formulaic. Young readers just beginning their foray into chapter books will enjoy this young mystery solver and the pen and ink drawing included with each chapter will assure they won't go into withdrawals from books including art. The protagonist may be a young girl but even reluctant male readers will find her antics enticing.

Use this book for...
Introductions to literacy circles and book reports would be a good way to use this book. Librarians could read a chapter of this and another Herculeah Jones book to begin a study of series books, discussing how the two book are similar and different.

References

Byars, Betsy Cromer. The Dark Stairs : a Herculeah Jones Mystery. New York : Viking, 1994.
Summary retrieved from Syndetic Solutions, Inc., Richardson Public Online Catalog, August 6, 2011.
E.S.W.; Silvey, Anita. Horn Book Magazine, Nov/Dec94, Vol. 70 Issue 6, p730-730, 1/4p
Fader, Ellen. School Library Journal, Sep94, Vol. 40 Issue 9, p214, 1/6p
Photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=13131695CRX71.129516&profile=rpl-kids&uri=link=3100007~!10333~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=basic&menu=search&ri=7&source=~!horizon&term=The+dark+stairs+%3A+a+Herculeah+Jones+mystery+%2F&index=PALLTI#focus



Series books - Hank the Cowdog #1 and #56
                          

Summary

When Loper puts him on Cheapo brand dog food and he gets in trouble for eating out of Sally May's birdfeeder, Hank the Cowdog hopes that he can get back in their good graces by thwarting the coyotes' plan to go after the chickens.  Reviews Hank the Cowdog, the humorously self-important "Head of Ranch Security" who was first introduced in 1983, reappears in The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog: Deluxe Edition by John R. Erickson. Gerald Holmes has added color to his original illustrations and supplied  four new ones; the book also includes a map of Hank's ranch and an author's preface. those who would like to join Hank's Security Squad fan club can recieve a boxed membership kit for $10.95. Ages 9-up. - Publishers Weekly And So...  I read the first and the latest books in this humourous series of easy to read chapter books. While there wasn't much  of a case for the "Head of Security" to solve, it was at the least entertaining. However, the dialect may be difficult for some urban readers to comprehend, as Hank is definitely a "cowdog". It is great way to get young readers to look into the meaning of what is written, to look past the speech patterns of the storyteller. Use this book for... This book would be a good model piece for writing dialect. It also would be great for teaching young writers about voice. In the library, you can introduce easy reader chapter books, or explain the shelving of series books using this titles from this prolific series.

References
Erickson, John R. The Case of the Coyote Invasion. New York : Viking, 2010.
Erickson, John R. Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog. Perryton, Tex. : Maverick Books, 1983
Roback, Diane; Brown, Jennifer M.. Publishers Weekly, 11/10/97, Vol. 244 Issue 46, p76, 3/4p
Book #1 photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=G313G71426656.130499&profile=rpl&uri=full=3100001~!51962~!69&ri=2&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&source=~!horizon&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Hank+the+Cowdog+%3B&index=PSERIES&uindex=&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&ri=2#focus
Book 56 photograph retrieved from http://hip.cor.gov/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=G313G71426656.130499&profile=rpl&uri=link=3100007~!411774~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=subtab35&menu=search&ri=6&source=~!horizon&term=The+case+of+the+coyote+invasion+%2F&index=PALLTI#focus