Sunday, October 9, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Module 10 ~ August 8 - 11
Module 10 – Bone
Summary
In this is first novel of the Bone’s series three cousins find themselves kicked out of Boneville. They quickly become separated and are able to reunite once again in a thick forested full of creatures and a pretty young girl named Thorn. No one has ever heard of the Boneville cousins or of their town. However, they are being sought after by an evil cat like creature.
My Impression
The black and white graphite drawings were nearly as telling as each short phrase with in them. This helped make the story interesting and easy to follow. The characters were funny and sweet looking and you couldn’t help but want them to make it back home safely.
Library Setting
This is would be fun to use when teaching students about comic drawings and graphite pencil drawings in art class. The teacher could pass around the book and other graphic novels like it for students to see different types. After discussing the design style, they could make a short story using their own box collection comics using graphite pencils.
Reviews
When greedy Phoney Bone is run out of town, his cousins, Fone and Smiley, join him. Fone makes friends with a country girl, her no-nonsense gran'ma, and a dragon; Phoney must contend with ferocious rat creatures who are led by a mysterious "hooded one" and who want Phoney's soul. This graphic novel (originally published in comic-book form) is slow paced but nevertheless imaginative.
(2005, Fall). Horn Book [Review of the book Bone 1]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=5b28860e41ea06f43077b7a4522fabb7
The nine-volume Bone graphic novel series was the toast of the comics world when it was published by Smith's own Cartoon Books beginning in the early 1990s; in this first volume of Scholastic's new edition, the original b&w art has been beautifully converted into color. Smith's epic concerns three blobby creatures who have stumbled into a valley full of monsters, magic, farmers, an exiled princess and a huge, cynical dragon. The story is something like a Chuck Jones version of The Lord of the Rings: hilarious and action-packed, but rarely losing track of its darker subtext about power and evil. This volume is the most lighthearted of the bunch, though, featuring some of the wittiest writing of any children's literature in recent memory-a few of Smith's gags are so delicious that he repeated them for the rest of the series. It also introduces the Bone cast's unforgettable supporting characters: the leathery, tough-as-nails, racing-cow-breeding Gran'ma Ben; the carnivorous but quiche-loving "rat creatures"; a spunky trio of baby opossums; and Ted the Bug, whose minimalist appearance (a tiny semicircle) exemplifies Smith's gift for less-is-more cartooning. The way his clear-lined, exaggerated characters contrast with their subtle, detailed backgrounds is a product of his background in animation, and so is his mastery of camera angles and choreography. This is first-class kid lit: exciting, funny, scary and resonant enough that it will stick with readers for a long time. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
(2005, February 7). Publishers Weekly [Review of the book Bone 1]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=5b28860e41ea06f43077b7a4522fabb7
Module 10 – The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
Summary
Virginia Shreves is fifteen and couldn’t feel more out of place within her family. She feels inferior next to their perfect figures and popularity. When her big brother, whom she has always idolized, is expelled from college, her world is nearly turned upside down. With her best friend living nearly 3000 miles away and her brother being accused of date rape she feels more disconnected than she ever did before. It is only then that she begins to find herself and start to truly love and value herself as the way she is and start to understand and accept her life and her family. She learns how to deal with her mother who wishes to see everything safe and happy, her father who sees beauty as something that is only skin deep, and her brother who is depressed and angry about what has happened to him. As she learns all of this, her family learns from her too. Over time their relationships strengthen and grow together.
My Impression
I enjoyed reading this story through Virginia’s eyes. The author makes the character into one that everyone can relate to in one way or another. I think this is a book that teenage girls are able to relate too. The content may have a stronger influence, but it’s realistic setting is one that most girls this age will be able to respect and relate to.
Library Setting
This could be used during a girl’s health lesson to talk about the main character’s feelings about her body image. With the main character in the story partaking in crash diets and another character in the story showing signs of bulimia, the counselor and or the health teacher could use those examples to hold a group discussion about having a healthy body image and about the effects of eating disorders.
Reviews
Gr. 7-10. Fifteen-year-old Viriginia Shreves is the blond, round, average daughter in a family of dark-haired, thin superstars. Her best friend has moved away, and she's on the fringes at her private Manhattan school. She wants a boyfriend, but she settles for Froggy Welsh, who comes over on Mondays to grope her. The story follows Virginia as she tries to lose weight, struggles with her "imperfections,"and deals with the knowledge that her idealized older brother has committed date rape. There's a lot going on here, and some important elements, such as Virginia's flirtation with self-mutilation, are passed over too quickly. But Mackler writes with such insight and humor (sometimes using strong language to make her point) that many readers will immediately identify with Virginia's longings as well as her fear and loathing. Her gradually evolving ability to stand up to her family is hard won and not always believable, but it provides a hopeful ending for those trying stand on their own two feet.
(2003, September 1). Booklist [Review of the book The Earth My Butt And Other Round Things]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=5b28860e41ea06f43077b7a4522fabb7
"You can tell that Ani is angry, but at the same time she's also funny and strong and sassy." Though she's talking about punk folksinger Ani DiFranco, fifteen-year-old Virginia could easily be describing herself. Unfortunately, Virginia buries her anger (toward her picture-perfect but dysfunctional family) and is unable to see herself as anything but a fat girl who's kind of smart. When her brother Byron, whom she worships, is found guilty of date rape, Virginia finally begins to acknowledge what her older sister Anais has tried to tell her: that Byron and their parents are far from perfect. Virginia's transition from an insecure girl desperate for her family's approval to a confident young woman might be a little messagey, but it's believable, and she doesn't do it on her own. Support comes from her best friend, from a teacher with eating-disorder experience, from a doctor who stresses health not weight and recommends channeling anger through kick-boxing, and even from the college student her brother assaulted. Readers will cheer Virginia on when she tells her father not to comment on her weight loss ("my body [is] just not yours to discuss"); tells her brother he's "an asshole for date-raping someone"; ignores clothing advice from her appearance-obsessed mother (who recommends "strategic layers and camouflaging colors") and buys a sexy purple dress instead; and realizes that the guy she's been making out with behind closed doors actually wants to kiss her in public. Mackler does a fine job introducing girls to a very cool chick with a little meat on her bones.
(2003, Sept./Oct.). Horn Book [Review of the book The Earth My Butt And Other Round Things]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=5b28860e41ea06f43077b7a4522fabb7
Module 9 ~ August 1 - 7
Module 9 – A Curious Collection of Cats
Summary
This is a poetry book that mainly focuses on concrete poems about cats and their personalities. Concrete poems are poems that arrange the words to fit a certain shape. It is very visual and allows the reader to understand the author’s expression through the text and the picture it’s words create. This poetry book has thirty-four poems that are centered around the strange behaviors and patterns of cats.
My Impression
I really enjoyed each of the poems. The poems were expressive with a wide array of fun and silly, serious and informative collected thoughts. The words and the pictures alike were bright colorful and I enjoyed turning the pages to see what Franco was going to write about cats next.
Library Setting
I would use the poem book to teach about concrete poetry. The students could write about their pet or make up a pet that they would like to have. They would then put the words into the shape of their pet to complete the concrete poem.
Reviews
Preschool-Grade 3. Words and pictures blend in these concrete poems about cats, written in forms that include haiku, limerick, and free verse. Once kids get the feel of how to follow the lines—up and down or in curving jumps or around the page borders––they will have fun with the playful images. One poem is in the shape of a feline tail. Another describes Kabob the cat’s fall upside down, and not only do the pictures show his movement, but the words do, too. When felines fight, the position of the words mirrors their furious screeches, howls, pouncing, and biting. Cat lovers will recognize the standoffs with arching backs, the cozy touch of the “purrfect” scarf on their shoulders, and the tech-savvy cat who walks across the keyboard to add her own note to an e-mail to a friend.
(2009, March 15). Booklist [Review of the poetry book A Curious Collection of Cats]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=0d442aa0c5ee174bfe82ed22b6f7d215
In an ideal match of subject and form, poet Franco uses the sinuous shapes and playful motions of cats to distill the essence of felines in all their grace and ridiculousness. Each of the thirty-two concrete poems is a mini-depiction of a particular cat, as in "Veronica Goes Wide": "Veronica's gotten so pudgy / and PLUMP, / she now mostly acts like a snuggable / lump"; the poem is written across the yellow cat, with the M in lump formed from her ears. Cats interact with dogs, with squirrels, with one another, and with people in a variety of funny ways, but Franco uses words so precisely to capture cats' behavior that cat-lovers will feel a shock of recognition. Cat-haters may, too, as Franco lays bare the less-charming aspects of life with cats, as in "cat haiku 1" ("Tuna fish dinner / Kitty washes down her meal / sips from toilet bowl") and the self-explanatory "that cat peed on my hat." Wirtz's illustrations, monoprints adjusted in Adobe Photoshop, keep the words that wrap and weave around the cats readable while still creating visual interest in the backgrounds. Together, poet and artist convey the silliness of cats and their humans without ever being silly themselves.
(2009, May/June). Horn Book [Review of the poetry book A Curious Collection of Cats]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=0d442aa0c5ee174bfe82ed22b6f7d215
Gr 3-6-Franco understands the nuanced world of the fluffy, fractious, and faithful feline friend. Thirty-two unusual, concrete poems, one per page with a single exception, are matched by Wertz's monoprints. The words move in several directions and sometimes inhabit multiple objects. The poems are so embedded within the illustrations that it is hard to imagine them without the artwork; they are virtually inseparable. In a print of a cat licking its neck, its exceptionally long tongue is created out of words. Readers following the poem will find they are forced to turn the book to the side, and may crane their own necks, experiencing an odd identification with the activity of the cat. The poem "Princess" uses arrows as part of the illustrated content to keep readers on the language path as "Princess paces down and up" awaiting her supper. At times, the path isn't obvious, but youngsters delight in solving puzzles, and these are merely little challenges that prove fun to master. In "Hot Daze," a red devilish arrow points to the poem's beginning. Among the various subjects are fat cats, shy cats, a kitty who "sips from toilet bowl," and a polydactyl cat with "poofy fur" and "prissy looks." Cat lovers will recognize their felines stretching, purring, and napping. This collection would pair nicely with Sharon Creech's Hate That Cat (HarperCollins, 2008).-Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
(2009, April 1). School Library Journal [Review of the poetry book A Curious Collection of Cats]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=0d442aa0c5ee174bfe82ed22b6f7d215
Module 9 – Stop Pretending
Summary
This book is written in novel verse form. It is from the perspective of a thirteen year old girl who is having trouble adjusting to life when her big sister has mental break down over the Christmas holidays. It is based on a true story about the author, Sonya Sones. When she was that age, one of her older sisters had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized for a while. She began to journal a lot at that time to help her cope with what her family was going through. She later decided as an adult to share her memories of this event as a way to help other families who were dealing with the same or similar situations.
My Impression
This was my first verse novel to read. It is very easy to follow because even though each collection of thoughts was short, it was very expressive and flowed together to tell the full story. The author’s writing style enabled me to feel for the girl in the story and her family.
Library Setting
Students could tell about their summer vacation using a novel verse style of writing.
Their collection of thoughts would be titled like chapters and their could focus on just the content rather than worry about a strict format of writing.
Reviews
One Christmas eve, 13-year-old Cookie's big sister has a nervous breakdown: a wild-eyed Jewish girl wearing only a nightgown,” she rushes out the door to Midnight Mass. Following this manic moment, the sister is institutionalized. This haunting novel, told entirely in Cookie's first person poems, is the story of what happens in the wake of this emotional disaster. Some of it is heartbreakingly predictable—Cookie is terrified that she will have a breakdown, her former friends shun her, her parents’ marriage begins unraveling. But there are wonderful surprises, too: Cookie is introduced to photography and finds in it an opportunity to heal herself and her sister: a new boy comes to school, and he and Cookie fall in love. The poems—some as short as five lines, none longer than three pages—have a cumulative emotional power that creeps up on the reader, culminating in a moving, unexpected line or phrase: “I blink / and there you suddenly are / inhabiting your eyes again ... and Im feeling all lit up / like a jar filled / with a thousand fireflies.” Such small moments become large in the context of their promise of healing and the demonstration of life’s power to continue. Based on Sones’ own family experience, this novel-in-verse shows the capacity of poetry to record the personal and translate it into the universal.—Michael Cart
(1999, November 15). Booklist Starred [Review of the book Stop Pretending].
Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=0d442aa0c5ee174bfe82ed22b6f7d215#anchor-review-award
An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness—its stigma, its realities, and its effect on family members. Based on the journals Sones wrote at the age of 13 when her 19-year-old sister was hospitalized due to manic depression, the simply crafted but deeply felt poems reflect her thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams during that troubling time. In one poem, the narrator fears that “If I stay any longer / than an hou r/ ... I’ll see that my eyes / have turned into her eyes / my lips / have turned into her lips ...” She dreads having her friends learn of her sister’s illness. “If I told them that my sister’s nuts / they might act sympathetic / but behind my back / would everyone laugh?” and wonders what she could have done to prevent the breakdown. All of the emotions and feelings are here, the tightness in the teen’s chest when thinking about her sibling in the hospital, her grocery list of adjectives for mental illness, and the honest truth in the collection’s smallest poem, “I don’t want to see you. / I dread it. / There. / I've said it.” An insightful author’s note and brief list of organizations are included. —Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
(1999, October 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Stop Pretending].
Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=0d442aa0c5ee174bfe82ed22b6f7d215#anchor-review-award
Module 8 ~ July 25 - 31
Module 8 – Time Warp Trio: Marco Polo
Summary
Time Warp Trio is a series that takes the reader through important events in history. The main characters in the story are transported through time by a magical book. This series choice is called Marco Polo. It is about three friends who travel back to ancient China and have to disguise themselves as astologers to help them find the magical book that got them there in the first place. The book is the porthole that will lead them back to present day. They also find Marco Polo and learn about Marco’s travels with his uncle and father during that time.
My Impression
Time Warp Trio is a fun series to read because it teaches the reader a little bit about each time period in the different stories. The main characters in the story are funny and witty. I liked how the pages 29-30 were empty on purpose. It went right along with the story and really made me feel like I was right there with them. Every few pages has an illustration and they help the reader visualize what is happening and are often quite funny and entertaining.
Library Setting
This is a great book to start with when teaching about series writing. The length is not overwhelming for the beginner writers. The students can write a time warp story of their own about something they have learned in their Social Studies or History classes this school year.
Reviews
The Time Warp Trio hits the Silk Road in this new installment. While playing a game of Marco? Polo! at the pool, Joe suddenly finds himself alone in the desert "somewhere between Italy and China,"clad only in his swim trunks. Luckily, Marco Polo himself hears Joe's cries for help. One joke--an Asian character named Ding Dong--falls flat into stereotype. That puzzling choice aside, Scieszka continues his formula of absurdity, slapstick puns, and nonstop action that has won the series plenty of fans.
(2006, December 15). Booklist [Review of the book Marco Polo]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
A game of Marco Polo lands the Time Warp Trio in thirteenth-century China, where the lads befriend the famous Italian explorer, feast with Kublai Khan, and outwit Khan's jealous astrologer. Through it all, the boys keep up their lively patter: "I really, really do not like cats." "Allergies?" "Yeah, I'm allergic to their sharp teeth." Another must-read for series fans.
(2007, Spring). Horn Book [Review of the book Marco Polo]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Gr 3-6-This installment in the series takes Joe, Sam, and Fred over the Silk Road into China. As it opens, the infamous blue Book transports Joe from the pool of his local YMCA to the desert where he meets Marco Polo, who is on his way to meet Kublai Khan. The boy is reunited with his friends only after rescuing himself and Marco Polo from bandits and a sandstorm. He also teaches the explorer how to play the game named after him, which provides for some very funny moments. The book concludes with a description of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. This title is as rich in historical detail as it is in humor and will have special appeal to reluctant readers.-Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
(2006, December 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Marco Polo]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Module 8 – Room One A Mystery Or Two
Summary
The main character in this mystery is a sixth grader named Ted Hammond. He lives in a small town in Nebraska. His town is so small that he is the only sixth grader in his one-room schoolhouse. He has a paper route delivering the newspaper each day throughout the town. One day, he sees a girl’s face in the window of an abandoned house. As he investigates the situation more, he finds out that it is a mom and her two children. He helps gather food for the girl and her family. He doesn’t want to tell anyone because the girl said that they had run away from an abusive home life and were on their way to her aunt’s house when her mom’s car broke down. He eventually tells his teacher whom he trusts and together they figure out how to best help this family safely reunite with their aunt.
My Impression
I enjoyed reading a story about a boy in a small town where nothing much ever happens, but he likes to solve the mysteries when things do happen. It was easy to follow, yet the storyline and the clues were enough to keep me reading and wanting for more.
Library Setting
The students could read this story while they are learning about different reading genres with the main focus being about mysteries. After discussing the story and about what makes a good mystery, they could write about their own mystery to solve. They could peer edit their partner’s story and use a rubric to determine if the storyline had all of the elements that would make for a good mystery story.
Reviews
Gr. 3-5. In a one-room school in a small Nebraska town, Ted is the lone sixth-grader sandwiched between four fourth-graders and four eighth-graders. Besides doing his chores on the family farm, he delivers newspapers, attends 4-H Club meetings, and enjoys reading mystery books. Riding his paper route one morning, Ted spies a girl's face in the window of an abandoned farmhouse. He puts his detective skills to the test as he tries to discover who she is, why she is there, and how he can help her. Though the mystery element in the plot is relatively mild, the story is strong enough that readers will want to find out what will become of Ted's vulnerable new friend. When she entrusts him with a secret, he must decide how best to honor that trust while helping solve her family's dilemma. The convincing, contemporary rural setting is an inextricable element of the novel, which is illustrated with small black-and-white sketches that enhance the refreshingly innocent tone of the story.
(2006, May 1). Booklist [Review of the book Room One]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
In small-town Plattsford, Nebraska, sixth-grade paperboy/Boy Scout/4-H-er/mystery buff Ted Hammond secretly befriends a girl who is hiding with her mother and brother in an abandoned farmhouse. When they disappear, Ted must figure out what happened. The subplot describing the townspeople's struggles, including a fight to keep their tiny school open, further helps set the scene, and ties in with a hopeful ending.
(2007, Spring). Horn Book [Review of the book Room One]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Sixth-grader Ted Hammond, who loves a good mystery, finds one in real life when he sees a face in the window of an abandoned farmhouse while on his paper route. Befriending the homeless family of a fallen Iraq War soldier he discovers hiding there has surprising consequences, including helping his one-room school stay open. This engaging middle-grade mystery is nicely up-to-date but set in a kinder, gentler and rapidly disappearing world. Not only is Ted responsible about delivering papers on his bicycle every morning and doing his farm chores in the afternoon, he was a Boy Scout until the scoutmaster moved away, and he takes his Scout Law seriously. Like the boy, his Plattsburg, Neb., community is genuinely generous, willing to open their arms and pocketbooks to welcome the family. Once again, Clements offers readers an intelligent protagonist, trustworthy adults, an interesting school situation and a real-life problem in a story that moves swiftly enough even for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 8-12)
(2006, June 1). Kirkus Review [Review of the book Room One]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Module 7 ~ July 17 - 24
Module 7 – Actual Size
Summary
Actual Size is a nonfiction picture book about the different sizes of many animals. Steve Jenkins is the author and illustrator who creates a book that displays illustrations that are of actual size. Every page includes some brief facts and statistics about the animal being displayed. He carefully selects and researches different animal parts that given their actual sizes on paper, allow the reader to have a close up view of what it would look like in real life. Jenkins does not use photographs for his illustrations. Instead, he creates the illustrations out of paper so that the reader will be able to truly measure and evaluate the actual size of the animal and or its parts. At the back of the book, Jenkins finishes up by adding more in-depth material at the back of the book about the measurements and findings.
My Impression
Each picture is exciting because it allows the reader to grasp the concept of measurement as they take in each page. I can visualize a child putting their own hand up to the gorilla’s hand in the book and comparing their hand’s size to the gorilla’s.
Library Setting
This would be great to teach with measurement skills. The teacher can use this book with students for basic skills and also about estimation. The actual sizes in this nonfiction book will engage the students about different sizes and their actual measurements. The students could make their own picture book about different objects that they choose and use either the whole or the part of the object and the actual size.
Reviews
Gr. 1-3. As in many of his previous bestiaries, including the Caldecott Honor Book What Can You Do with a Tail Like This? (2003), Jenkins'newest presents a parade of cut-paper animals, each accompanied by a pithy line of text. The difference here is the scale: everything appears at actual size. Jenkins'masterstroke, though, is his inclusion of creatures both great and small, so while petite critters fit comfortably within 12-by-20-inch spreads, larger ones appear as evocatively cropped bits and pieces: a gorilla's massive hand; a Siberian tiger's snarling mug; the unnerving, basketball-size eye of a giant squid. The resulting juxtapositions will leave children marveling at one species'daintiness, then shuddering as they mentally sketch in the unseen portions of more formidable beasts. Jenkins'artwork is gorgeous (a gatefold of a frog in midleap is particularly memorable), and, at the end of the book, thumbnail images of the featured animals paired with information about habitat and behavior put the piquant visuals into a broader context. An unusual, unusually effective tool for connecting children to nature's astonishing variety.
(2004, May 15). Booklist [Review of the book Actual Size]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Jenkins's signature cut-paper collages are once again amazing in this oversize book in which life-size illustrations of eighteen creatures (or parts of them) invite reader participation. A nearly twelve-inch-long gorilla hand entices readers to see how their own hands measure up; the foot-across Goliath birdeater tarantula will inspire a similar reach. Included are creatures great and small: a dwarf goby fish barely registers on the page, while the Alaskan brown bear's head overflows a double-page spread. The relative sizes are accentuated by the white backdrop and are grounded by the straightforward information that accompanies the creatures--one or two brief sentences followed by the animal's height/length and weight--as they parade across the expansive pages. For dramatic appeal, a single-page foldout unveils itself halfway through this lesson in size: on one side an imposing saltwater crocodile's snout proudly displays a full mouth of teeth, while on the other side the greater part of a Goliath frog is shown in mid-leap. Additional information about each creature is included at the back, along with a complete picture of each animal, helpful in those cases where only part of an animal fits on a page.
(2004, May/June). Horn Book [Review of the book Actual Size]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Jenkins's signature cut-paper collages are once again amazing in this oversize book containing life-size illustrations of eighteen creatures great and small. One or two brief sentences, followed by the animal's height/length and weight, accompany each picture. Additional facts are included at the back, along with a complete illustration of each animal.
(2004, Fall). Horn Book starred [Review of the book Actual Size]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Module 7 – Rosa
Summary
Rosa is a nonfiction picture book about Rosa Parks in Alabama back in 1955. The true story takes place during the time period when blacks and whites were not treated equally. In the story, Rosa was asked to give up her seat for a white citizen. As a result, she was arrested for not getting up and moving. She stood firm to her beliefs about what is right and wrong and her actions prompted her and many supporters to stop riding the bus. During the boycott, African Americans marched and picketed for equal rights for all.
My Impression
This is a beautifully illustrated and written nonfiction picture book about Rosa Parks. Both the words and illustrations are sophisticated and will spark questions when you read this aloud.
Library Setting
This is great to teach when celebrating Black History Month. It is also great to teach during History or Social Studies when learning about influential men and women throughout history.
Reviews
Gr. 3-5. Far from the cliche of Rosa Parks as the tired little seamstress, this beautiful picture-book biography shows her as a strong woman, happy at home and at work, and politically aware ("not tired from work, but tired of . . . eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools"). Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus inspires her friend Jo Ann Robinson, president of the Women's Political Council, and the 25 council members to make posters calling for the bus boycott, and they organize a mass meeting where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaks for them. Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light, and also as part of a dynamic activist community. In the unforgettable close-up that was used for the cover, Parks sits quietly waiting for the police as a white bus driver demands that she give up her seat. In contrast, the final picture opens out to four pages showing women, men, and children marching for equal rights at the bus boycott and in the years of struggle yet to come. The history comes clear in the astonishing combination of the personal and the political.
(2005, June 1). Booklist starred [Review of the book Rosa]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Poet Giovanni's lightly fictionalized (and unsourced) feminist account of Rosa Parks's historic refusal to give up her seat on a bus in 1955 Montgomery emphasizes the role of the Women's Political Council but soft-pedals both the NAACP's contributions and Parks's own prior political activism. Handsome collage paintings with bold patterns and strong figures do more than ample justice to Parks's heroism.
(2006, Spring). Horn Book [Review of the book Rosa]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Rosa Parks sat. "She had not sought this moment, but she was ready for it." When she refused to move out of the neutral section of her bus to make way for white passengers, she sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She was tired of putting white people first. Giovanni's lyrical text and Collier's watercolor-and-collage illustrations combine for a powerful portrayal of a pivotal moment in the civil-rights movement. The art complements and extends the text, with visual references to Emmett Till, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Martin Luther King, Jr. The yellowish hue of the illustrations represents the Alabama heat, the light emanating from Rosa Parks's face a shining beacon to all who would stand up for what's right. A dramatic foldout mural will make this important work even more memorable. An essential volume for classrooms and libraries. (Picture book. 5+)
(2005, July 15). Kirkus Review [Review of the book Rosa]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Module 6 ~ July 11 - 16
Module 6 – Henry’s Freedom Box
Summary
Henry’s Freedom Box is about a Virginia slave, Henry Brown. Henry was born into slavery and dreams of a life of freedom. One day while Henry was working, his wife and children were sold away to another master and he never saw them again. In hopes to escape the brutalities of slavery and the loss of his family, he plans to move where he can have a free and better life in Philadelphia. After great planning, he packed himself into a box and a friend helps to ship him there. After weeks of being cramped in a box, he arrives safely and free. His daring escape and survival gave him the new name Henry “Box” Brown.
My Impression
Though I was happy that he had made it to freedom, I wished that he never had to experience slavery and the loss of his family. The beautiful pictures were realistic and expressed the sadness he felt during the time of his slavery. The only happy and smiling illustrations during that time for him is when he was with his wife and children and when he arrived into his new life of freedom. The flowing portraits and well-chosen wording makes it easy for young readers to understand. They are also able visualize and gain a greater respect for the life and experiences of slaves.
Library Setting
The teacher could also share stories about the slaves escaping underground along an old railroad line. After having shared both stories, the class could create a web design comparing and contrasting the two stories. They would then write an individual essay that compares and contrasts one of the relationships between the two stories. The student could also choose to compare and contrast the main character in the story, Henry “Box” Brown with another similarly influential person such as Harriet Tubman.
Reviews
Although the cover shows a young boy staring intently at the reader, this book is really about Henry Brown as an adult and a staggering decision he made to achieve freedom. Henry, born a slave, hears from his mother that leaves blowing in the wind "are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families."When his master grows ill, Henry hopes that he will be freed; instead, he is given to his master's son, and his life becomes worse. Eventually, Henry marries and has children; then his family is sold. With nothing left to lose, he asks a white abolitionist to pack him in a crate so he can be mailed to freedom. The journey is fraught with danger as he travels by train and then steamboat, but 27 hours later, he reaches Philadelphia. A brief author's note confirms the details of the story, but it's the dramatic artwork that brings the events emphatically to life. According to the flap copy, an antique lithograph of Brown inspired Nelson's paintings, which use crosshatched pencil lines layered with watercolors and oil paints. The technique adds a certain look of age to the art and also gives the pictures the heft they need to visualize Brown's life. Transcending technique is the humanity Nelson imbues in his characters, especially Brown and his mother--her dream of freedom deferred, his amazingly achieved.
(2007, February 1). Booklist starred [Review of the book Henry’s Freedom Box]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
In a true story that is both heartbreaking and joyful, Levine recounts the history of Henry "Box" Brown, born into slavery. Henry works in a tobacco factory, marries another slave, and fathers three children; but then his family is sold, and Henry realizes he will never see them again. With nothing to lose, Henry persuades his friend James and a sympathetic white man to mail him in a wooden box to Philadelphia and freedom. Levine maintains a dignified, measured tone, telling her powerful story through direct, simple language. A note at the end explains the historical basis for the fictionalized story. Accompanying Levine's fine, controlled telling are pencil, watercolor, and oil paint illustrations by Kadir Nelson that resonate with beauty and sorrow. When Henry's mother holds him as a child on her lap, they gaze out at bright autumn leaves, and the tenderness is palpable, even as she calls to his attention the leaves that "are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families." There is no sugarcoating here, and Henry is not miraculously reunited with his wife and children; however, the conclusion, as Henry celebrates his new freedom, is moving and satisfying.
(2007, March/April). Born Book [Review of the book Henry’s Freedom Box]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Gr 2-5-Inspired by an actual 1830s lithograph, this beautifully crafted picture book briefly relates the story of Henry "Box" Brown's daring escape from slavery. Torn from his mother as a child, and then forcibly separated from his wife and children as an adult, a heartsick and desperate Brown conspired with abolitionists and successfully traveled north to Philadelphia in a packing crate. His journey took just over one full day, during which he was often sideways or upside down in a wooden crate large enough to hold him, but small enough not to betray its contents. The story ends with a reimagining of the lithograph that inspired it, in which Henry Brown emerges from his unhappy confinement-in every sense of the word-and smiles upon his arrival in a comfortable Pennsylvania parlor. Particularly considering the broad scope of Levine's otherwise well-written story, some of the ancillary "facts" related in her text are unnecessarily dubious; reports vary, for instance, as to whether the man who sealed Henry into the crate was a doctor or a cobbler. And, while the text places Henry's arrival on March 30, other sources claim March 24 or 25. Nelson's illustrations, always powerful and nuanced, depict the evolution of a self-possessed child into a determined and fearless young man. While some of the specifics are unfortunately questionable, this book solidly conveys the generalities of Henry Brown's story.-Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
(2007, March 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Henry’s Freedom Box]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Module 6 – Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride
Summary
This informational book is based on a true story about two friends, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, who decided to go for a special night time flight over Washington, D.C. in an airplane. The black and white illustrations are full of detail, historically accurate, and remarkable to look at. The book shares a few facts about each of these influential women as they are getting ready for a dinner party that night at the White House. During dinner, Amelia tells an exciting story about flying when the sky gets dark. The two ladies decide to venture out on a night time flight of their own to Baltimore and back.
The story is simple, fun, historical, and symbolically significant (without being didactic or political). The black and white illustrations are interesting to look at, and very detailed (even the pattern on the White House china in the background is historically accurate).
With their colorful personalities, and the strength to defy cultural expectations, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt make great role models for little girls -- and it doesn't hurt for them to understand that the freedoms they will surely take for granted in their lives were won for all of us by women like these.
My Impression
This book captures the spirit and friendship between these two unique women who are exceptional role models. This informative book is both historical and interesting for young readers. The historical elements are written in a literary manner that does not expunge didactic or political views.
Library Setting
The teacher and students could compare and contrast this story to other stories about flying. Together, they could discuss the similarities and differences about all accounts of flying.
Another idea is that the students could write an essay about someone they would like to have dinner with. The topic: “If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?”
Reviews
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Yes, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt did sneak off for an airplane ride after dinner at the White House. But, no, Earhart did not pilot the plane, as she does in this picture book for older children. Ryan makes clear in her long author's note at the book's conclusion that she has changed that fact to make the story more "exciting." It's true, the story does work better without the two Eastern Air Transport pilots flying the plane per regulations (though Amelia and Eleanor both took turns at the controls). Still, the central event of this "based on true story" piece of fiction didn't happen, and kids probably won't read the author's note to clarify the text. Too bad about the confusion, because this book has so much going for it--an engaging text and simply wonderful pencil illustrations that not only capture the black-and-white visual sensibility of the 1930s but also feature inventive show-offy scenes--the White House surrounded by masses of cherry blossoms, an aerial view of the Capitol at night, and the captivating dust-jacket illustration of Eleanor and Amelia that will immediately draw readers to the book. Both Ryan and Selznick clearly did their research, and one of the book's chief attributes is its depiction, in both words and pictures, of two strong women--really pioneers. Despite the change in the incident, children will get a sense of the importance of Earhart and Roosevelt to America's history in general, and women's history in particular.
(1999, October 15). Booklist [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Ryan and Selznick skillfully blend fact and fiction for a rip-roaring tale of an utterly credible adventure. On April 20, 1933, Amelia Earhart had dinner at the White House with her friend, Eleanor Roosevelt. Amelia's description of flying at night so entranced Eleanor that the two of them, still in their evening clothes, flew in a Curtis Condor twin-motor airplane and were back in time for dessert. Eleanor herself had studied for a pilot's license, but had to be content driving instead. Selznick has created marvelous graphite pictures, with slight washes of color, for scenes based on accounts and descriptions of the evening, right down to the china on the White House table. Using a slightly exaggerated style and a superb sense of line and pattern, he plays with varying perspectives, close-ups, and panoramas to create a vivid visual energy that nicely complements the text. There is sheer delight in the friends' shared enjoyment of everything from a formal dinner and fine gloves to the skies they navigated. A final historical photograph shows the two on the plane that night.
(1999). Kirkus Review [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
In this sparkling picture book based on a true incident, Ryan (Riding Freedom, with Selznick) proves that Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt truly were "birds of a feather." Friends in real life, America's First Lady invited the "First Lady of the Air" to dinner at the White House in 1933. Eleanor, inspired by Amelia's descriptions of Washington viewed from her plane at night, accepts the pilot's offer of an after-dinner flight over the capital. Before dessert can be served, and over the protests of the Secret Service agents, the two are off to the airport and up in the sky, thrilling to the brilliance of the city below. Hewing closely to documented accounts, Ryan's inviting text adds drama and draws parallels between the two protagonists with fictional touches: she places them alone together in the plane (an author's note explains that in fact they were accompanied by two male pilots) and adds a final scene in which Eleanor takes Amelia for a zippy ride around the city in her brand-new car. Selznick's illustrations, black-and-white graphite accented with touches of purple pencil, both capture the vibrancy of his subjects and evoke the feel of a more glamorous era. A brief but compelling slice from the lives of two determined, outspoken and passionate women. Ages 5-9. (Oct.)
(1999, September 27). Publishers Weekly [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Module 5 ~ July 4 - 10
Module 5 – Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster
Breathed, B. (2009). Flawed dogs: The shocking raid on Westminster. New York: Rosebud Productions. Fiction
Summary
This fantasy magically brings a dachshund and his new friends together so he can prove once and for all that he, Sam, is not the evil one. In the beginning, Sam is saved by his new human friend, Heidi, from an overstuffed furry dressed lady that claims to be his master. He escapes and Heidi ends up bringing him home, but only to lose him when Cassius, a jealous poodle, sets him up to look like a baby murderer. He spends the next three years trying to survive and figure out a way to get revenge. With a group of mutts from the National Last Ditch Dog Depository, they disguise themselves like a contestant and disrupt the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show. When he sees Heidi, he wants to believe that she could still care about him, but once again Cassius makes him believe otherwise. Cassius tries to kill Sam and Heidi finds out that the evil doings were Cassius all along.
My Impression
This tale is a magically adventurous turn of events with laughter and tears along the way. I wanted Sam to be able to tell her that it wasn’t him, but only the human reader knows what the dogs are saying in the story. The humans in the story only hear barking. It was wonderful to see “the underdogs” help save the day and find homes for themselves too. Each dog had a “flaw” that kept them from originally being adopted. After their flaws helped Sam, they learned to appreciate themselves for the things that made them so different.
Library Setting
This novel could be used to teach students about how special differences are. At an age where so many children fear being different, it can help teach them that the things that make them unique are the very things that make them one of a kind. Students could partner up with another student in class and talk take turns talking about their least favorite quality about themselves. Their partner could help them come up with a list of ways that this quality could be helpful.
Reviews
Grades 4-6. After forging a brilliant career as a cartoonist, most notably with Bloom County, Breathed applied his well-honed artistic skills to picture books and now takes his first stab at novel writing. His worldview of the lovable loser skewering pomposity is a natural fit for middle-graders, as is the dog-centric nature of this tale. The plot follows Sam the Lion (actually a dachsund), admired by dog-show types for his rare genetic tuft of hair, who is cast out by his adoptive family due to the machinations of a jealous poodle. Over the next few years, any number of terrible/zany adventures befall Sam (including losing a leg and having a soup ladle tied on in its place) before he’s reunited with his owner and justice is done. The story is essentially an animated cartoon in prose form (complete with a mutts-piled-on-top-of-each-other-dressed-as-a-human gag), but Breathed proves an able writer, laying on plenty of over-the-top ebullience that should perk the ears of kids’ inner underdog. A bevy of Breathed’s signature bulbous illustrations—a few in color—add some body to the story.
(2009, Oct 15). Booklist [Review of the book Flawed Dogs: The shocking raid on
Westminster ]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
Breathed's fans won't be surprised by the dark tone of this outlandish tale, but readers expecting a heartwarming pet story may be taken aback by the difficulties that face Sam, the canine hero. Luckily, smooth writing and humorous exaggeration make it relatively easy to get through the violence of a dog-fighting ring, the perfidy of an envious poodle and three long (mercifully undescribed) years in a research lab. Characterization of the humans is sketchy at best, but the various canine and feline players are an endearing mix of odd attributes and engaging personalities (except for the murderous poodle). Sam's clever plot to infiltrate the Westminster dog show combines the suspense of an over-the-top caper film with the slapstick of the Marx Brothers (Mrs. Nutbush bears a striking resemblance to Margaret Dumont). Clearly growing out of, but not a simple expansion of, the 2003 picture book of the same name, these pups' tale carries the same message of caring and concern and will likely worm its way into the hearts of readers able to persist through the problems and pain. (Fantasy. 10-14)
(2009, August 15). Kirkus Review [Review of the book Flawed Dogs: The shocking raid on
Westminster ]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
Bloom County cartoonist Breathed (Pete & Pickles) makes the move from picture books to middle-grade fiction and, from the harrowing opening scene at a dog fight, readers will be rapt. After spending eight years isolated at a boarding school in Minnesota, 14-year-old orphan Heidy McCloud is invited to live with her dejected uncle Hamish, greedy Mrs. Beaglehole and their evil poodle, Cassius, on the vacant McCloud Heavenly Acres dog ranch in Piddleton, Vt., "Home of the World's Most Beautiful Dogs." En route, Heidy meets Sam, a Du glitz dachshund worth $180,000, and a reciprocal, platonic love is born. However, Cassius resents the attention Sam receives and sets a trap resulting in the dachshund's imprisonment in a pound with "the seven most ridiculous dogs [Sam] had ever seen," as well as Sam's suffering an awful injury. But the dog's determination to reunite with Heidy doesn't wane. Dramatically lit and featuring comically exaggerated characters (human and canine alike), Berkeley's b&w artwork augments the story's drama and humor. A moving tale about the beauty of imperfections and the capacity for love. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
(2009, July 20). Publishers Weekly [Review of the book Flawed Dogs: The shocking raid on
Westminster ]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
Gr 3-6-This chapter book is a spin-off of Breathed's 2003 picture book of the same name (Little, Brown). Sam the dachshund was bred to be an award-winning show dog, right down to his priceless "Du glitz tuft." But Sam has no interest in appearances; like all dogs, beautiful or "flawed," all he really wants is to belong to someone special, and to be loved. After a dramatic escape from his frightful new owner, he sneaks into a girl's luggage and soon wins her affections. But Cassius, a champion full-size poodle and denizen of Sam's new home, is not accustomed to being second in anyone's heart and is determined to get rid of him. What follows is a series of misadventures for Sam and a group of abandoned animals from the National Last-Ditch Dog Depository. Featuring some harrowing moments, this is not a story for the faint of heart, but readers will definitely be rooting for Sam and his comically imperfect band of followers. Black-and-white and full-color illustrations, done in the award-winning author's familiar style, are sprinkled throughout, adding depth to an already engaging and well-paced tale.-Jessica Marie, Renton Public Library, WA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
(2009, Nov 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Flawed Dogs: The shocking raid on
Westminster ]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
Module 5 – Uglies
Westerfeld, S. (2005). Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse. Fiction
Summary
This scientific novel takes place in a society where normal people are ugly and everyone dreams of becoming pretty when they turn 16. The main character, Tally, lives in a world long after ours. When the characters talk about the older civilization, they call them/us the Rusties. They have been taught in school that when Rusties were alive, they were wasteful of the land’s resources and there was so much violence because everyone got so caught up in their own jealousies that they stopped treating everyone with fairness and respect. That was the old way of living. The new way of living (makes e think of a cult like lifestyle) practically brainwashed them from the age of littlies to the age of 16. They were taught to think that they were ugly and when they turned 16, they would be turned pretty. Being pretty meant parties and happy people everywhere. No one was sad and no one fought. After her best friend, Peris, turns nearly 3 months before her Tally is left to spend the summer alone. After she sneaks over to the other side to see him, she meets a girl named Shay. Shay thinks that she is an amazing trickster and teachers her how to hover-board and about the Ruins and the Rusties. After Shay runs away, Tally is forced to go find her and she Tally learns what really happens when you are turned pretty.
My Impression
Teenagers are very impressionable and it is sad to think that another adult would want to make them believe and feel that they are ugly. I love that Tally finds out the truth before it is too late, and learns to stand up for what she believes in.
Library Setting
This book also talks a lot about what can happen to the environment if people don’t take care of it. This could be taught with a lesson on ways to preserve the environment and also data and research (findings) that could be collected to display what can happen when too many trees are cut down, or about pollution, or even the effects of poaching.
Reviews
Gr. 7-10. Fifteen-year-old Tally's eerily harmonious, postapocalyptic society gives extreme makeovers to teens on their sixteenth birthdays, supposedly conferring equivalent evolutionary advantages to all. When a top-secret agency threatens to leave Tally ugly forever unless she spies on runaway teens, she agrees to infiltrate the Smoke, a shadowy colony of refugees from the "tyranny of physical perfection."At first baffled and revolted by the rebels'choices, Tally eventually bonds with one of their leaders and begins to question the validity of institutionalized mutilation--especially as it becomes clear that the government's surgeons may be doing more than cosmetic nipping and tucking. Although the narrative's brisk pace is more successful in scenes of hover-boarding action than in convincingly developing Tally's key relationships, teens will sink their teeth into the provocative questions about invasive technology, image-obsessed society, and the ethical quandaries of a mole-turned-ally. These elements, along with the obvious connections to reality programs such as Miami Slice, will surely cause this ingenious series debut to cement Westerfeld's reputation for high-concept YA fiction that has wide appeal. Suggest M. T. Anderson's Feed (2002)and Westerfeld's own So Yesterday (2004)to readers antsy for the next installment.
(2005, March 15). Booklist [Review of the book Uglies]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
With a beginning and ending that pack hefty punches, this introduction to a dystopic future promises an exciting series. Tally is almost 16 and breathlessly eager: On her birthday, like everyone else, she'll undergo extensive surgery to become a Pretty. She's only known life as an Ugly (everyone's considered hideous before surgery), whereas after she "turns," she'll have the huge eyes, perfect skin, and new bone structure that biology and evolution have determined to be objectively beautiful. New Pretties party all day long. But when friend Shay escapes to join a possibly mythical band of outsiders avoiding surgery, Tally follows-not from choice but because the secret police force her. Tally inflicts betrayal after betrayal, which dominates the theme for the midsection; by the end, the nature of this dystopia is front and center and Tally-trying to set things right-takes a stunning leap of faith. Some heavy-handedness, but the awesome ending thrills with potential. (Science fiction. YA)
(2005, Feb 15). Kirkus Review [Review of the book Uglies]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
In this launch title of a planned trilogy, teenager Tally Youngblood is living an unexamined life in a world unlike ours, hundreds of years from now. She's impatiently awaiting her birthday because in her town, Uglyville, everybody gets the same gift at age 16: cosmetic surgery which transforms them into gorgeous creatures. They also move into "party towers" in New Pretty Town. Tally's best friend has already made the transition and, motivated by her desire to see him, she sneaks into town. Her near-capture leads to a new best friend, Shay, who has the same birthday. On the eve of their operations, Shay reveals a plan to escape to a renegade settlement called "the Smoke." When Shay disappears, government agents blackmail Tally into leading them to the rebels. Once in the Smoke, Tally has a crisis of conscience when she learns the surgery is more sinister than she imagined. Teens will appreciate the gadgetry-including bungee jackets and hoverboards that work by magnetic levitation. But plausibility problems creep in, such as Tally leading a breakout of Smokeys from a high-tech compound while wearing handcuffs. As in his So Yesterday, Westerfeld introduces thought-provoking issues, but readers may lose track of the plot while sorting the many messages about how the "Rusties" nearly destroyed the planet. They may also feel cheated when, after 400-plus pages, the ending leaves loose ends to be tied up in the next installment, Pretties. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
(2005, March 21). Publishers Weekly [Review of the book Uglies]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
Gr 6 Up-Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that acculturates its citizens to believe that they are ugly until age 16 when they'll undergo an operation that will change them into pleasure-seeking "pretties." Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots-or remain forever "ugly." Tally's adventuresome spirit helps her locate Shay and the Smoke. It also attracts the eye of David, the aptly named youthful rebel leader to whose attentions Tally warms. However, she knows she is living a lie, for she is a spy who wears an eye-activated locator pendant that threatens to blow the rebels' cover. Ethical concerns will provide a good source of discussion as honesty, justice, and free will are all oppressed in this well-conceived dystopia. Characterization, which flirts so openly with the importance of teen self-concept, is strong, and although lengthy, the novel is highly readable with a convincing plot that incorporates futuristic technologies and a disturbing commentary on our current public policies. Fortunately, the cliff-hanger ending promises a sequel.-Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
(2005, March 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Uglies]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=c10961bcca5f05fde919419b6f86897a
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