Mystery & Adventure

Day, Christine. I Can Make This Promise First edition. Harper, an imprint of HaperCollins Publishers, 2019. I Can Make This Promise is a lovely reveal of a complicated family history. Christine Day uses her own life to inspire the events of a young girl’s discovery of family secrets. She also uses the story as an opportunity to shed light on a dark time period where Native American babies and children were taken from families, otherwise known as the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The Seattle setting presents a lovely backdrop for this brief look at Native History of the surrounding Seattle area. The main character, Edie, goes through many changes throughout and certainly gains a new perspective on the importance of family and heritage. The slow reveal of Edie’s biological grandmother keeps the reader’s interest throughout the book. There are a few incidents that are a bit unrealistic. For example, it is awfully convenient that Edie hears the story of her mother’s adoption on the same day that thousands of Native Americans participate in a canoe festival that happens to go right past a house Edie’s family owns. A house she’s never been to, despite being in 7th grade. These small unlikelihoods still don’t take anything away from the reader.  The reader of this book could be anyone. This is a middle grade novel that is appropriate for anyone from about 5th grade (depending on reading skills) to adult. It’s a highly enjoyable read with some tough aspects of American history to work through. This was one of my favorite reads of the course.

Paulsen, Gary. Northwind. First edition. New York, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2022.   Northwind is a classic man vs. nature adventure. Gary Paulsen is masterful at this genre. This is a wilderness survival story, full of small moments of triumph. Leif, the heroine of the novel, has many obstacles to overcome in his pursuit of survival. He is brave and also working through a very strong sense of grief. These traits humanize him to the reader. His bravery is put on display many times throughout and this keeps the novel moving. The action in this novel is more of an exploration of nature at its finest; primal, wondrous nature. Often, the strongest sense of adventure throughout the novel is the reflection of wonder, and even joy experienced by Leif. The reader is definitely rooting for Leif. This is one of those adventure stories that could appeal strongly to a young male reader, though of course, it could be a good fit for anyone. This would be a good recommendation for anyone looking for a sense of wonder and the simplicity of the man vs nature plot allows for a good listening experience as well.

 

Brown, India Hill. The Forgotten Girl. First edition. New York, Scholastic Press, 2019.

The Forgotten Girl is a ghost story with some originality.  The theme is essentially bringing a voice to those that have lost theirs. This is an important concept the author explores and it is clear to the reader throughout the telling. The ghost in this ghost story is the symbol for the forgotten voices and I believe the author does a good job of presenting this. Even young readers should be able to pick up on the meaning and importance of the ghost. 

The setting is somewhat original. It is set in a neighborhood with an abandoned graveyard. It is difficult to think this graveyard would go unnoticed for this long, but that fact does not take away from the story too much. The setting is simple, going back and forth between the houses of the main characters, the school and the graveyard. 

The style of this novel could use a bit of work. The imagery the author creates is sometimes hokey. The elements of the supernatural are often not given adequate imagery to create a strong sense of their existence, and there seems to be little resistance from the characters in the story. There doesn’t seem to be much push back in regards to this supernatural. Overall, this is a spooky read for kids, with an important look at highlighting forgotten voices and ensuring we honor stories of our past. 

Higuera, Donna Barba. The Last Cuentista Levine Querido, 2021

The Last Cuentista is a bit more of a complex science fiction story than The Forgotten Girl, but with a similar theme. Memories and storytelling are paramount in this book and how we can be good stewards of our stories and memories is an important topic for young readers to ponder. Though a more complex tale, young readers can definitely pick up on the themes of this book. 

The setting may be a bit more difficult for a young reader to keep track of, as memories of Earth, the new planet and advancing years are sometimes difficult to keep up with. Listening to the audio book was a bit tedious for this reason. Though sometimes difficult to keep track of, the setting and imagery created is beautiful and unique. Because of the back and forth and length of the text,  I believe this book would be best suited for students in 6th grade or higher. 

The style of this book is wonderfully mastered. The imagery is distinct and credible. It is completely believable that the reader has been taken to another planet and another time period. There are scenes of intensity, felt acutely by readers. This is certainly a book to beg readers to ponder worlds, other concepts and simply imagine what life could be.

 Yee, Lisa. Maizy Chen's Last Chance. First edition. New York, Random House Children's Books, 2022.

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance is a readable story about family. The characters are believable and engaging, though the plot is not necessarily fresh. The plot leans on some pretty standard themes like going home again, standing up to bullies and losing love/friendships. There may be too many themes going on here, in fact. It may be difficult for a child to pick up on each and every theme when there are many. I do not think it takes away from the story, some of the ideas just may be lost on young readers. Though the plot lines are not the freshest, they are still engaging. 

Engaging as the characters may be, some do rely on positive stereotyping. The main character, Maizy, is a “cooperative” Asian child. This is a pretty standard presentation of an Asian child.  The grandmother also leans toward a positive stereotype, as she is the “hard working” Asian woman. Though these stereotypes do exist, it does not take away from the plot line. There is a unique immigration story interwoven throughout, as Maisy’s grandfather tells the tale of Lucky, an ancestor, and her coming to America story. Overall, I would say this may not be the most original way to present a storyline, but it does engage and teach some important information about Asian immigration and shows the nuances of racism and toward Asian people. 

Woodson, Jacqueline. Before the Ever After. New York, Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020.

Before the Ever After is a moving, emotional novel in verse. Jacqueline Woodson artfully paints a story of a football player suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease that can result from multiple blows to the head. The verses follow his son’s journey with dealing with his father’s illness, but also dealing with edging toward manhood. Little man is a fully fleshed out character. All of the characters in this story are so real, so artfully thought of that the reader almost feels as if they know the whole family. Each line of the text is full of imagery and pulls the reader further in with each page. From the devastating disease the family deals with, to watching the beautiful way the leaves fall from the trees.  This is a masterful book. There don’t seem to be any stereotypes at play here. There are no caricatures of a person. This is simply a book that sucks you in from the first line and keeps you there until the last. 

 McManis, Charlene Willing and Traci Sorell. Indian No More. First edition. New York, Tu Books, an imprint of Lee & Low Books, Inc, 2019.

Indian No More is a story of two young girls relocating after the government has taken away their “Indian” status, otherwise known as termination. Termination was a very real policy, starting in 1953. A quick google search will give plenty of hits on the relocation laws. The family in the book are relocated to a neighborhood in LA. This is a time in America where segregation still existed and a Native American family would be considered a nonwhite family. The neighbors surrounding the Native family in the book are also nonwhite, allowing the author to present scenes of discrimination. There is also the use of the ‘n’ word in this book, creating a great opportunity for an adult to have an important conversation with a young reader about discrimination and hateful language. 

The story seems to move along in a way that is in tune with the times. The plot is loosely based on one of the coauthor’s lives, so there is a great sense of accuracy. The language and tone that are set in the story seem authentic and there is a deep sense of the discomfort of the family as they try to align themselves with an American way of life. There is a tone of sadness that creeps in throughout the reading, expertly set by the authors. That tone puts readers right in the living room of the young Native girls, a living room with a new t.v. at that. This is a beautifully written story that presents a time in history that isn’t often written about. It is apparent that the authors went to great lengths to ensure accuracy and authenticity and it shows. 

* Note * I used Howard University’s informational page on termination to confirm accuracy. I also used the information provided by the authors in the back of the book to determine the level of expertise involved. 

https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/indigenous/termination

Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Finding Langston. New York, Holiday House, 2019

Finding Langston is a short novel meant to capture The Great Migration, a time when approximately 6 million black people moved north. The story is centered around a young boy and his father that moved north to Chicago after the boy’s mother died. There isn’t an exact timeline provided in the book, but there are clues offered, as well as a note at the end of the book stating that the story takes place during that time. The setting seems to accurately depict the general time frame being conveyed, but the time frame is more like a background to the central plot. Since the story is really centered around a young boy at a difficult time in his life, the background politics and tone seem to be understated. At the forefront of this novel is the boy’s love for books and his escape into a library, a place he wasn’t able to enter in his hometown. The Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library was the first to have an African American branch manager and became a meeting place for writers like Langston Hughes. The love of this library is central to the story line, more than other aspects of the setting. The whole book is not only a love letter to Hughes, but to Hall, the man behind the library branch that meant so much to so many. 

*Note* I used the Hall Branch website and the National Archives to corroborate information. 

https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration

https://www.chipublib.org/about-hall-branch/

Rinaldi, Ann. My Heart Is On the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl Scholastic, 1999.

The first two novels discussed were beautifully written, with time spent on accuracy. My Heart Is On the Ground is a different account. For starters, the language used in this book is problematic at best. A line from page 9 reads, “When I show her, she reads my writing and I am getting much excited to know I have write something a white person can read (Rinaldi, 9).” There is no need for this Native girl to sound so simple and so ready to please the white man. Not only is this uncomfortable to read, it is also historically inaccurate. In fact, this book has been ridiculed harshly for its inaccuracies.

Cynthia Smith writes of the outrage surrounding the book published by Scholastic. In this book, documenting a Sioux girl’s journey, the boarding school the Native American children were sent to was portrayed as a pleasant time in the girl’s life, when in actuality, Native children were sent there without the ability to leave and many died from the conditions. A line from page 93 reads, “ [Mr. Captain Pratt] said school is almost over for the year and he is most proud of us. He said this summer some children will go home. Others will go on ‘outings’ (Rinaldi, 93).” This is a stark contrast from what was actually experienced. In fact, Smith cites Pratt as a man with a philosophy of “Kill the Indian, save the man.” Under his administration, the school was set up to break spirits, to destroy traditional extended families and cultures, to obliterate memories and languages, and especially to make the children deny their Indianness, inside and out (Smith).” This seems like an instance that a book should be pulled front the shelf, but it seems to still be a party of many collections. 

https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/fiction-posing-as-truth-a-critical-review-of-ann-rinaldi-s-my-heart-is-on-the-ground-the-diary-of-nannie-little-rose-a-sioux-girl/

This week I will be looking at graphic novels. They have a tendency to be pretty controversial for some, most adult readers.

Annable, Graham. Peter & Ernesto:  A Tale of Two Sloths. First edition. New York, NY, First Second, 2018.

The first graphic novel for the week is Peter & Ernesto. This is a graphic novel geared toward those beginning readers. It is almost like a level one graphic novel. The tale is adorable and easy to follow. The illustrations are very effective in capturing the attention of those young readers. They are cute and often silly. The sloth’s large eyes convey emotion in each illustration. 

The pictures tell a story and there are not an overwhelming amount of words. The words are large enough to read and follow. Children will definitely understand the simple plot of adventure and friendship. There is a second installation in the series, so readers can keep the adventure going. 

Brown, Jeffrey. Jedi Academy. Edition statements vary on different printings of this edition. New York, NY, Scholastic Inc, 2013.

The next graphic novel is Star Wars Jedi Academy. This is a great series for comfortable readers. There are definitely far more words than Peter and Ernesto, though there are still ample images. The images are cartoonish and look like they could be made by children. What makes this series interesting is that it plays with the graphic novel format, adding in different lists, homework assignments, etc.

There is far more reading involved in this series than Peter & Ernesto, but the storyline is still accessible for young readers. This series is especially great for those Star Wars fans out there. Jedi Academy is a 4 part series, so interested readers will have several books to read. 

King, Thomas and Natasha Donovan. Borders. First U.S. Trade paperback edition. New York, Little, Brown and Company, 2022

The next graphic novel is definitely more mature than the previous two. Borders is beautifully written and illustrated. The story is not terribly difficult to follow, but I believe this would be better suited for a middle school or above reader. At first glance, the story looks to be about the US/Mexico border, but it is actually about a Native American that neither identifies with the US or Canada. This is a great subject to write a graphic novel about, as we need to have more conversations about this in our society. I enjoyed this one the most of my reading for the week and think it’s a valuable addition to a library collection for a more mature reader.

The use of color throughout the graphic novel also conveys so much information. Here is a somber scene, in monotone. 

Brown, Don. In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers. Etch/Clarion Books. 2021, August 10. 

The final graphic novel gets even more mature. This one  is actually an informational graphic novel and takes readers through the day of and the days following 911. The pictures tell a harrowing tale and are rendered in a chaotic, dark style. There is often smoke and fire depicted throughout the scenes designed to represent the rescuing efforts that took place in the days after 911. It really gets the reader to think about how hot the ashes must have been. The pages seem to smolder.

The storyline  is not difficult to read in skill, but difficult to read in content. I would say this is a young adult book, or YA. I believe the details presented in the writing are for an older audience. 

The graphic novels discussed all offer distinct benefits to readers of all ages. I believe if every adult chose to read a graphic novel in a subject that interested them, the great graphic novel debate would die down. 

This week, I will be looking at beginning and transitional readers. This is a fun genre, helping readers transition to chapter books.

Keller, Laurie. "We are growing!." New York : Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group, 2016.

We Are Growing fits nicely into the category of a level one book, as outlined by Horning. It follows the standard rules of font and number of lines. The words are mainly sight words. The illustrations definitely add to the book. It’s almost as though the words compliment the pictures in this case.  This is a very fine step over the line of picture book and chapter book, but in a good way. This is also a great book for read-alouds. It is engaging and fun. This would be a great suggestion for a beginning reader. The pictures are exciting and the word size plays off of that excitement, enticing those transitional readers all the way through. 

Shannon Hale & Dean Hale (text) & illus. by LeUyen Pham, Princess in Black, Candlewick. Princess in Black, Feb. 2022

The Princess in Black fits mostly within the transitional parameters. The typeface is relatively large. The margins are large and there is plenty of white space. There are short, episodic chapters. The sentences are not broken up, but are quite short.  

Some aspects of the book fit into the level three parameters. The pictures mostly appear on every other page, but there are a few small illustrations peppered throughout. 

I would say this is a level three, transitional book. Many of the pages are 3/4th text like a level three book, but there are also several pages that have 15-25 lines like in the transitional guidelines. 

Faruqi, Saadia, and Hatem Aly. Yasmin the Explorer Picture Window Books, a Capstone imprint, 2019.

Yasmin The Explorer is a level two book. The sentences are a bit more complex and contain sight words. There are generally 5-7 words per line and less than 14 lines per page. The pictures take up about half of the space of the book, providing lots of breaks for the reader. What’s really great about this series is that there are questions in the back to prompt readers and even a glossary full of Urdu words. There are also facts and recipes to learn more about Pakistan. I am a big fan of books that introduce young readers to new words, ideas and cultures. This series really checks all of those boxes and is an excellent step up from picture books for beginning readers. 

*Note: This is not the exact Yasmin book on the syllabus, but the series is set up the same. 

Butler, Dori Hillestad. and Kevin R Free. King & Kayla and the Case of Found Fred. Unabridged. [United States], Recorded Books, Inc, 2019.

I would also categorize King & Kaylan and the Case of Found Fred as a level two book. The typeface is a bit smaller than the Yasmin series, but it follows the other guidelines. The illustrations are peppered throughout, leaving about half the page for the story. There are not many lines per page. The average is about 10 lines per page. The amount of illustrations in this book would entice an early reader, especially picture book lovers as there is an illustration on every page. 

*Note: This is not the exact Yasmin book on the syllabus, but the series is set up the same. 

 

 

 Sorell, Traci, and Frané Lessac. We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know. Watertown, MA, Charlesbridge, 2021.

 

We Are Still Here! is a sort of overview of Native American history after Europeans arrived.  The book is set up as if students are teaching about different events in Native history. The organization of the book is unique and lends itself well to further exploration in the classroom. There are also many ‘extras’ in this book. There’s a timeline, glossary of terms, a guide to the Cherokee alphabet and sources. The author’s note explains that the author is a dual citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the United States, giving her the proper credentials to be an expert voice on the subject. The use of illustrations support the information and organization of the book and are appealing to students. 

Chin, Jason. Grand Canyon. First edition. New York, New York, Roaring Brook Press, 2017.

Grand Canyon is an interesting information book, as the author is also the illustrator. This book was made with love and gratitude for the Grand Canyon and it shows. The illustrations are unique and layered. Each page is a unique melding of information, both pictorial and written. 

This book is a love letter to the explorer in all of us, whether adult or child. There are cutouts and fold outs and diagrams throughout, which all sounds like it might be too much, but it works. There are brief descriptions of human history and ecology of the canyon. There are cross sections of the canyon, beautifully illustrated. This book is a complete work of art. This would be a great addition to any collection. 

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and Floyd Cooper. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre Carolrhoda Books, 2021.

Unspeakable is difficult to read, especially with the state of the world right now. However, it is important, as I would say the vast majority of Americans do not know about the Tulsa Race Massacre and they most certainly should. I believe this is an important book to have in a library collection for that reason, though it is difficult to read. The illustrator does a good job of not making the pictures too graphic, but does allow them to add to the anguish. There are both author and illustrator notes in the back, but I believe there could have been even more extras in this one. I would have liked to see further readings provided, or perhaps more photographs. Overall, an important read, but all readers could benefit from even more information. 

Paeff, Colleen,, and Nancy Carpenter. The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem First edition., Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021.

The Great Stink is a fun read about a stinky subject: poop. The lighthearted poop jokes throughout make learning about London’s sewer system a delight. The illustrations are  a great addition, as the reader can almost smell the noxious fumes on some of the pages. The ‘extras’ in this book are great, with great tips on preventing modern day water pollution. There is a detailed timeline of the London events, along with a list of further reading and author’s note describing the inspiration behind the book. This could be a really fun kick start to a research project for students.