Fiction, Fantasy, and YA Review #1- THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gaiman, Neil. Illustrations by Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper, 2008.  ISBN 978-0-060-53094-5

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, or Bod to his friends. The only survivor of a murder spree that eliminated his whole family, Bod finds himself in a cemetery, alone in the world and only a toddler. He is “adopted” by ghostly Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and is raised in the cemetery among the dead with the mysterious Silas as his guardian. Bod develops friendships with many of the ghosts, a human friend named Scarlet, and has supernatural adventures all while attempting to evade Jack, his family’s murderer.  

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The best line in this tragic story is the beginning, “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife”.  Throughout the book, the setting of the cemetery is crucial. The cemetery becomes like another character. The nuances and traits of the cemetery are crucial in every moment of Bod’s life journey, especially the climax. Bod comes to battle the Jacks, one of whom was responsible for his family’s deaths. While battling them, he saves the life of Scarlet, his human friend, who has returned from Scotland and joins him on his hero’s journey to save the world from the evil Jacks. The climactic death of the final Jack takes place, of course, in Bod’s cemetery.  I found that Bod’s relationship with his ghostly parents to be the least well defined, yet his relationship with Silas is extremely well developed. The themes of the story include good prevailing over evil, the pain of growing up, fear of the unknown, and the power of love.  This is a fantasy book for middle grades, but is very unrealistic.  I struggled to read this story because of the unbelievable thought that a baby could survive living his life in a cemetery.  That aside, many people obviously love this book.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Newbery Medal – 2009

Carnegie Medal

Hugo Awards, Best Novel

ALA Notable Children’s Books, Middle Readers Category – 2009

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults - 2009

From School Library Journal: “Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “A lavish middle-grade novel, Gaiman's first since Coraline , this gothic fantasy almost lives up to its extravagant advance billing.”

5.      CONNECTIONS

Gather read-alike books to read such as:

Avi, The Seer of Shadows, ISBN: 978-0-060-00017-2

Black, Holly, Doll Bones, ISBN: 978-1-416-96399-8

Gather other Neil Gaiman books to read such as:

The Sleeper and the Spindle, ISBN:  978-0-062-39824-6

Coraline, ISBN:  978-0-380-97778-9

Pair the Graveyard Book with The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Compare and contrast the two. Discuss similarities and differences.

With students, create a secret society of Jacks who are good, instead of evil. How could they help the world?

Historical Fiction Review #3- PENNY FROM HEAVEN

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer L. Penny from Heaven. New York: Random House Children's Books, 2006.

 ISBN 978-0-375-83687-9

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

In the summer of 1953, life for Penny is split between the mother and grandparents she lives with and the Italian relatives of her deceased father. On one side, her mother is very protective and strict and will not allow Penny to swim in a public pool due to her fear of Penny catching polio. On the other side, her many uncles, aunts and Nonny will do anything to make up for her father not being here.  Even with all of this, Penny still wishes for all the people she loves to quit hating each other, her favorite uncle to stop living in a car and for someone to tell her about her father. One day, while her cousin Frankie and Penny were searching for their grandfather’s buried treasure in Nonny’s basement, Penny’s arm accidentally gets pulled through a wringer. After spending the summer in the hospital, and overcoming the odds of never using her arm again, Penny learns of the history between the two families and the truth behind her father’s death.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jennifer Holm beautifully balances fact and fiction with this high-quality historical fiction.  "If I could ask Mother one question about my father, it would be what he thought of me.  Did he think I was funny?  Or smart?  Did he love me?"  The family dynamics keep the reader both laughing and sympathizing with Penny. The scenarios that her cousin Frankie drags Penny into are very funny until Penny gets hurt. Penny’s relationships with her various family members are touching and the reader can sense her longing to heal the rift in her family. The author’s note and family album included at the end of the story allow us to understand how Holm’s characters were created. This is an enlightening look at the Italian American culture of the 1950s.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Newberry Honor Book- 2007

ALA Notable Children’s Books – Older Readers Category: 2007

From School Library Journal: “Penny and her world are clearly drawn and eminently believable, made up of seamlessly interwoven details from everyday life.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Holm includes telling historical details, including information about WWII Italian internment camps and how Penny's mother will not allow her to swim in a public pool or visit a movie theater because of the risk of polio.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather read-a-like books to read such as:

Vanderpool, Clare, Moon Over Manifest, ISBN: 978-0-375-85829-1

Williams-Garcia, Rita, One Crazy Summer, ISBN: 978-0-060-76088-5

Gather other Jennifer L. Holm books to read such as:

Our Only May Amelia, ISBN:  978-1-439-50269-3

Turtle in Paradise, ISBN:  978-0-375-83688-6

Discuss why the book belongs in the historical fiction genre.

Discuss the internment camps set up by the United States government during World War II.

Historical Fiction Review #2 - NIGHT OF THE HOWLING DOGS

Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Salisbury, Graham. Night of the Howling Dogs. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2007.

 ISBN 978-0-385-73122-5

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Night of the Howling Dogs is based on a true story about a Boy Scout Troop who go into Halape, Hawaii for a weekend campout.  When an earthquake strikes unexpectedly and causes a tsunami, the boys’ survival skills are put to the test.  All of the boys are put in peril and although some of them do not get along, they must work together in order to survive.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

My father worked as a professional Boy Scout for over 40 years before he retired.  I spent countless summers at Boy Scout camp growing up (and yes I am a girl), so this book was very special to me. When I read the following sentence I knew that all was going to break loose in this story. “A thick green coconut grove curved around a white-sand beach. And beyond, a sky blue ocean sat smooth and calm” (pg 31).  Based on an actual event experienced by the author's cousin in 1975 (as described in a lengthy author's note), this survival adventure is dynamically integrated into a beautiful but potentially deadly Hawaiian setting. Salisbury skillfully intertwines together the elements of scouting, male bonding, outdoor adventure, and natural disaster in a spectacular setting.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Texas Lone Star Reading List - 2008

From School Library Journal: “Salisbury's tale of  courage, strength, and survival is appealing, exciting, and insightful.”

From Kirkus: “Like any good survival story, this will make readers ponder what they would do when survival is on the  line. A sure-fire literary thriller.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather read-a-like books to read such as:

Smith, Roland, Eruption, ISBN: 978-0-545-08174-0

Going, K.L., The Liberation of Gabriel King, ISBN: 978-0-142-40766-0

Gather other Graham Salisbury books to read such as:

Eyes of the Emperor, ISBN:  978-0-385-38656-2

Blue Skin of the Sea, ISBN:  978-0-440-21905-7

Historical Fiction Review #1 - ONE CRAZY SUMMER

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistad, 2010.

 ISBN 978-0-060-76089-2

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

One Crazy Summer is a historical fiction novel.  This book is set during the summer of 1968 in Oakland, California and follows the lives of three sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, as they visit with their mother who abandoned them seven years before.  As they look forward to meeting the mother none of them know, they envision all that California and their mother will offer them such as Disneyland, movie stars, and loving embraces. But the reality is that instead of Disneyland, they spend their time at a community center.  Instead of movie stars, they learn about the Black Panthers, and instead of loving embraces, they meet a disinterested mother who resents their presence and advises them to stay out all day so they do not disturb her work. During the summer, the girls learn a few things about their distant, crazy mother and in the process, each one learns something about herself as well.  One Crazy Summer is set in one of the most volatile periods in recent U.S. history and emphasizes the effects of this time period on the children who experienced it.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

One Crazy Summer paints an accurate story of what life was like for African-American’s in the 1960’s from a child’s perspective.   Delphine narrates the story as a responsible, thoughtful, observant girl, wiser than her 11 years.  Her sisters, Vonetta and Fern, add humor to the story to draw in the reader. The combination of the 1968 Oakland civil rights movement with the journey of the three sisters is seamless.  The writing is poetic and simple and the characters are unforgettable.   The book does not finish with a perfectly happy ending, but it is a perfect ending. 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Coretta Scott King Award

Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award

ALA Notable Children’s Books – Middle Readers Category: 2011

School Library Journal Best Books - 2010

From School Library Journal: “Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Williams-Garcia (Jumped) evokes the close-knit bond between three sisters, and the fervor and tumultuousness of the late 1960s.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather read-a-like books to read such as:

Birdsall, Jeanne, The Penderwicks, ISBN: 978-0-440-42047-7  

Howland, Leila and Ji-Hyuk Kim, The Forget-Me-Not Summer, ISBN: 978-0-062-31869-5

Gather other Rita Williams-Garcia books to read such as:

Gone Crazy in Alabama, ISBN:  978-0-062-21587-1

P.S. Be Eleven, ISBN:  978-0-061-93864-1

Have students write about the craziest summer that they have ever had and have them share with the class.

Questions to ask kids after they read the book:

-Do you think the girls got an education in Oakland they otherwise would not have gotten in Brooklyn? Why or why not?

-How do you think each sister changed during their four weeks in Oakland?

-Of the three sisters, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, whom did you most relate to? Why?