Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L.H. (1999). Speak. New York: Puffin Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0-374-37152-4

Plot Summary

High school freshman Melinda Sordino is an ostracized by everyone, including her best friend. Before school began, she attended a party that forever changed her. She got drunk, and then she was raped by Andy Evans, a popular senior. She called 911, and the police broke up the party. Nobody knows the real reason she called, and they are angry that their merriment was cut short. Because of her trauma, she barely speaks now at all. As the school year progresses and she continually withdraws, her grades decline, she loses the only friend she has left, and she is continually tormented by Andy. The only person who seems to be able to reach her is her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, who encourages her to express her feelings through art. Then, her former best friend begins dating Andy, and he attacks her again. This time, though, she is able to speak and in doing so, finally finds her voice.

Critical Evaluation

The first person narration of Speak expresses teenagers’ emotions spot on. For example, the novel opens with these lines: “It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.” What teen cannot relate to that feeling? This example of Melinda’s narration and inner thoughts is just the beginning of prose written with much wit, honesty, and acute insight. Melinda’s pain is felt through her words. The high school setting further provides a realistic portrayal of the conflict, and the novel is divided into four sections to mirror the four grading periods of an academic year. Through the progression of time, readers see the transformation of Melinda from withdrawn to finally finding her voice. The prose is replete with vivid imagery as Melinda describes what she sees and what she feels. Themes of seeds are sown throughout the book and germinate as Melinda grows stronger and is able find her voice. This unforgettable debut novel will resonate with readers on many levels.

 

Reader’s Annotation

High school freshman Melinda is raped at a party the summer before school starts and she is so traumatized, she will not speak. An outcast and hated by her classmates, as the school year progresses she learns who her true friends are and finds her voice again just in time.

 

Author Information

Laurie Halse Anderson is a bestselling author known for writing about tough subjects with sensitivity. She has won many awards, and her books Speak and Chains have been National Book Award finalists. Born October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, New York, close to the border of Canada, she continues to live in Northern New York and enjoys watching the snow fall during the winter. She married her childhood sweetheart, Scot, and they have four children. She would like for people to correctly pronounce her name: Halse rhymes with waltz.

 

Anderson began her career in writing as a picture book writer. Before that, she was a freelance reporter for newspapers and magazines. She is well-known for picture books about American history. Because history is a passion of hers, she has written historical fiction novels Fever 1793 and Chains, which is the first in a trilogy set in the Revolutionary War.

 

More information about Laurie Halse Anderson can be found at her website:

http://madwomanintheforest.com/

 

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

High School

Rape

Book Talking Ideas

How art expresses feelings

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school students; appropriate for grades 8 and up

Challenge Issues

Underage drinking, rape

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/07

Publishers Weekly starred 09/13/99

Booklist 09/15/99

School Library Journal starred 10/01/99

Books for the Teen Age (NYPL) 04/01/99

Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10

Horn Book starred 09/01/99

Wilson's Senior High School 10/01/07

Why did I include this title?

This is a powerful book about a sensitive subject. Melinda’s cutting voice accurately portrays the struggles of high school, and readers can relate to that. The list of lies they tell you in high school is hilarious.

Juno

Reitman, Jason. Juno. 20^th Century Fox, 2007. PG. DVD. 96mins. ASIN: B000YABYLA 

Plot Summary

In Minnesota, sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff and her best friend, Paulie Bleeker, have one sexual encounter in a chair in the Fall, when school starts. They like each other, but they don’t consider themselves exclusively in a relationship, much less parents. When Juno is at the abortion clinic, she decides she cannot go through with it and chooses to have the baby and give it up for adoption instead. When she tells her parents, they are supportive of her decision. Juno searches the local Pennysaver and finds an adoptive couple in the suburbs, Mark and Vanessa Loring. Mark and Juno become close as they bond over horror movies and music. Juno continues to attend high school as her belly continues to grow, and she takes it all in stride as she has always marched to the beat of her own drummer. Paulie is clearly in love with her, but is too passive to tell her while she maintains an indifferent toward him until he asks someone else to the prom. Meanwhile, as her friendship with Mark deepens, problems develop between Mark and Vanessa, who seems to want a baby more than he does. When the baby boy is born, he is ultimately in the hands of someone who loves him.

Evaluation
Juno received four 2008 Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Ellen Page, and Best Original Screenplay for Diablo Cody, which she won. There was much talk about the movie being pro-life and anti-abortion propaganda, while many others saw it as pro-choice. Ellen Page herself commented, “What I get most frustrated at is when people call it a pro-life movie, which is just absurd... The most important thing is the choice is there, and the film completely demonstrates that.” The character of Juno shows this throughout the movie in all her decisions. Likewise, Juno has been labeled feminist because of its portrayal of the main character as an intelligent and confident teenage girl. The dialogue and actions support this assertion, as Juno’s wit is sharp and original. The setting takes place over three seasons beginning at the beginning of high school, which mirrors the three trimesters of pregnancy. Furthermore, Juno’s struggle with adulthood provides the audience with an opportunity to question their own values and decisions in their lives.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_%28film%29)

Readers Annotation

Offbeat, sixteen-year-old Juno sleeps with her best friend, Paulie, only once but gets pregnant. When she decides to place the baby with an adoptive couple, she learns about true love and friendship.

Information about the Director
Director Jason Reitman, who also directed Up in the Air and Thank You For Smoking, is known for making comedy films that touch on serious subjects that have highly subjective narration by the main characters. His films usually contain a theme of some kind of generational gap between older and younger characters, and his films often center around characters who are self-confident but who also begin to rethink their lives.

He was born October 19, 1977 in Montreal, Quebec, he is the son of director Ivan Reitman. He graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, CA in 1995 and then graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a major in English. He frequents STK, a steakhouse restaurant in Los Angeles.

Information for Jason Reitman was found at imdb.com.

Genre
Comedy; Drama; Romance; Teen movie

Curriculum Ties
Sex education, teen pregnancy

Why Included?
This movie is hilarious. Juno is such a strong female character who defies stereotypes. This movie is an example of how an unplanned teen pregnancy can be handled in a pragmatic way that ends with love all around.

Seventeen Magazine

Summary

This magazine’s target audience is female young adults. The magazine is divided into five sections. It also includes a horoscope, lists of freebies, a note from the editor, letters to the editor, and a feature article interviewing the celebrity on the cover. The table of contents not only has a brief description of the article with the page number, but it also has a photograph of the featured item inside a circular frame. The Fashion section suggests what to wear and includes bargains. The Beauty section includes information about hair and makeup. The Health section includes information about what to eat, how to workout, and how to deal with body issues. The Love section offers relationship advice. The Life section includes a true story about a life-changing event and an interview with a celebrity. The magazine has many full-page advertisements for makeup, television shows, perfume, clothing, shoes, and accessories.

Critical Evaluation

The magazine’s bright cover grabs readers’ attention from the moment she picks it up. She is able to find information about how to recreate the cover celebrity’s makeup style as a page is dedicated to providing that information so readers can also purchase these items. Many advertisements actually appear to be part of the magazine’s information, but readers can quickly distinguish between the two. The fashion section offers many suggestions that relates to readers’ varying styles. Illustrations and photographs adorn most of the pages and often leaves little room for text. This is appropriate, however, since the reader has probably purchased the magazine to see the fashion and beauty, not read about it. An encouraging addition is the inclusion of plus-size models; by showing models with different body types, more readers can connect with the magazine and not feel excluded. It also may encourage body image health. Young adult women do not have to be hypercritical of themselves if they do not look like the skinny models. Many articles suggest items that are relatively inexpensive; again, this makes the magazine very relatable to most young women. These items are not out of their reach. Makeup and hair techniques are presented with step-by-step, detailed illustrations and instructions to help readers achieve the desired effect. In the Health section, there is a removable insert with photographs and instructions how to workout in five exercises. This magazine does a good job of providing its readers with helpful information how to look and feel their best.

Why did I include this magazine?

I used to read Seventeen magazine when I was young. It hasn’t changed much since then, and looking at this magazine was a walk down memory lane. There seems to be less text and more pictures, though. All in all, this magazine is an entertaining read. I was also happy to see some plus-size models in the pictures. Go curvy girls!

PC Gamer Magazine

Summary

This is a magazine dedicated to those interested in PC gaming. The magazine is divided into six sections: Monitor, Previews, Features, Reviews, Extra Life, and The Hard Stuff. On the table of contents page is also a corner of Highlights with images of games and gaming equipment that is new or reviewed. There is a Send section where readers’ questions are answered by the magazine. The Monitor section summarizes and reviews games and their characters, plots, and settings. Here, games are compared with other games as well. In this issue, an article in this section described the music of games and how to insert music into the games. The Previews section describes and analyzes games that will be available soon. Magazine writers have played the games and are writing about them so readers know what to expect. Five games were reviewed. It also includes a Release Meter to alert readers months ahead of time when new games will be out. The Features section is comprised of articles about important and interesting news in the PC gaming world. The Reviews section features reviews of games, how they are played, digital images of scenes and characters, and a PC Gamer rating. It also adds a Need to Know sidebar where readers read a very short summary of it, what the game was influenced by, what systems it can be played on, other games like it, and its copy protection. Extra Life features older games that are still being played, downloads and free games from the Web, and a How to section where readers learn how to perform tasks within games. The Hard Stuff features reviews of computer hardware.

Critical Evaluation

The cover draws readers’ attention with its large, full color graphic of a frightening monster about to kill a young man who is holding a gun. The monster has two heads, no eyes, and one head is engulfed in flames. Inside, the articles are detailed analyses and evaluations of PC games. Colored photographs and images of the games with descriptive, often humorous captions are featured on each page. Many contain diagrams to show the readers how to perform a task or accomplish a goal. These photographs and images capture the rich graphics of the game, which is a selling point for every game.

Much text accompanies the photographs to explain the intricacies of playing the games. Teasers, offering a small image and a brief description of new games, are exciting to readers looking ahead three, six, and nine months from now. The feature article not only has a detailed description and analysis, but also offers a double-spread page that folds out to create a poster that a reader could remove from the magazine. Description and analysis of characters include their weapons, strategies, and example skills. This magazine’s rich text and illustrations provide its readers with current information that enhances their level of play and provides them with a tangible source of entertainment related to the culture of PC gaming.

Why did I include this magazine?

I am aware that PC and online gaming is very popular, but I did not know much about this pastime and culture. This magazine provided me with an insight into this culture. It was very interesting to me, even though I do not play. The analyses and descriptions are very detailed and give readers much information. What was most interesting, though, was the illustrations. The graphics of these games are amazing!

Ride BMX Magazine

Summary

Ride bmx is a magazine dedicated to the sport of bmx bike riding, racing, and stunts. The table of contents includes a Q&A with a professional rider and articles reporting and critiquing new products and parts for bikes, and soft goods, which is clothing. A Pro Shop is featured; in the December 2011 issue it is Ramp Rats in Northern California. The Diversions section features a Compare & Contrast article, which analyzes two people who do the same thing. In this issue, Miles Rogoish and James Cox are two filmers being compared and contrasted. There are three highlighted feature articles and in this issue, they are the 2011 NORA Cup awards, Nonfiction Freestyle, and Fly in California. The NORA Cup awards article includes a double spread full of multi-sized color photographs and then an interview of each winner. Next, Nonfiction Freestyle describes the true life stories from five people who became professional bikers.

Critical Evaluation

The nonfiction life stories are interesting autobiographical accounts of five BMX’ers and how they got to be where they are. These stories have the potential to instill hope and goals in amateur bikers as they see if these guys can do it, so can they. Readers will connect with the similar growing-up moments the professionals experienced. The lingo of the sport runs throughout the magazine. I am currently wondering what “steezy” means. California is referred to as Cali. And, what is a 180-to-fakie cannonball? This magazine seems to be focused on California since all the photographs and articles are set there; readers in other parts of the country might feel excluded. There are more photographs than text, but that suits the subject matter. The color photography is stunning. Photographers who understand shutter speed have taken action-stop pictures of bikes mid-air. Bikes and riders are forever frozen hovering above ramps and railings, perpendicular to the ground. These pictures are cause for wonder and inspiration as they show would-be professionals and casual readers what they can do with a stairwell or drained pool. Full color, double spread layouts create pictures worthy of pinning up to readers’ walls. This vibrant, entertaining magazine represents BMX riding well.

Why did I include this magazine?

I had never looked at a BMX magazine before. I really don’t know anything about BMX riding. This magazine introduced me to what goes on with this sport beyond what I see on the streets. There is an entire culture with BMX riding, and I was happy to learn more about it. It’s not just riding bikes around the neighborhood!

Teen Vogue Magazine

Summary

Teen Vogue is magazine target to young adult girls. The table of contents is divided into sections: Fashion, Beauty & Health, and Features. This magazine has all the articles typical of a women’s popular magazine such Cover Look and Horoscope. There are colorful photographs on every page and they are mostly young adult women from the late teens to early twenties. A feature titled People Are Talking About provides readers with summaries of new movies and music with the help of a colorful pie chart. A feature labeled Next Big Thing is titled Pet Project. It is introducing Teen Vogue’s new “supercute” accessories, which include wallets, iPhone cases, bag charms, and mini-mouse pouches. An article titled Snow Day features girls in brightly-colored ski clothes and green, orange, and blue lipstick. An article titled The Social Network investigates the use of social networking sites like Facebook and how readers are now able to see when they are being excluded from activities. There are four boxes containing quotes from victims of being excluded. For example, Olivia, 19, says, “I saw a picture of my good friend Amanda and everyone I hang out with at a restaurant. I was in shock. Why didn’t she just text me? These are people I see all the time.”

Critical Evaluation

While comparing the articles to the categories they are supposed to be a part of, I often did not see the correlation. For example, why is Horoscope in the Fashion section? Why is Denim Patrol: Slim Shady in the Beauty & Health section? Shouldn’t it be in the Fashion section? Similarly, why is an article about music and movies in the Beauty & Health section? Most shockingly is the complete lack of any article about female health in the Beauty & Health section. The Features section seemed to be the only part that made sense. It features many of the attention-grabbing headlines on the cover and their corresponding articles. Of course, there are the full-spread advertisements that colorfully promote beauty and fashion. These advertisements are directed at an economically varied reader base. For example, jewelry sold at Target is followed by a Marc Jacobs ad; Marc Jacobs is considerably more expensive than what one would find at Target. More advertisements include those for Gucci perfume, Maybelline mascara, essie nailpolish, and Coach bags. Each page of article has supporting photographs and most articles are broken into short sections of text by subtitles that stand out and highlighted words. Quotes jump out at the reader in different colored fonts. The models featured are all very skinny, which might create unhealthy body images and expectations for girls. Besides the article about exclusion and Facebook, Teen Vogue is a magazine for entertainment only.

Why did I include this magazine?

I have read Vogue many times, and I was curious about how Teen Vogue compared to the adult version. The basic outlines are the same, but Teen Vogue has younger models and features about younger celebrities. There are less advertisements than in Vogue, and the advertisements in Teen Vogue are for items that are more within reach of teens (not all teens, of course. I don’t know any teen who sports a Movado watch). I was disappointed in the absolute lack of health-related articles despite having an entire section for Beauty and Health. Well, it seems beauty is more important. I think popular girls’ magazines should address heavier topics than how to do your hair. Still, this magazine is a fun way to browse what’s new in fashion and beauty.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Frank, A. (1952). The diary of a young girl. New York: Doubleday.

ISBN-13: 978-0-553-29698-3

Plot Summary

The diary begins on Sunday, June 14, 1942. Anne Frank and her family live in Holland after emigrating there to escape Nazi persecution of Jews. Anne calls her diary Kitty because she wants to treat it as a friend who she can confide in and “bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in (her) heart.” She had received the diary as a present from her parents for her thirteenth birthday on June 12. The Frank family had believed they would be safe in Holland, but that proved otherwise as rules and laws took away their freedoms when Holland was invaded. Then, when her older sister, Margot, receives the call-up notice instructing her to report at the train station for deportation, the family virtually disappears. Otto Frank, Anne’s father, had prepared for this event by setting up an apartment above his jam company in advance. They have everything they need to survive there, and Anne calls it the Secret Annex. Soon after, the Van Daan family moves in. Their son Peter is shy, but after some time, he and Anne develop a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, years pass as they rely on Miep and a few other helpers for food, toiletries, entertainment, and news. Anne describes the daily life and the frequent scares in her diary entries as she herself is maturing into adolescence. They are hopeful that they will finally be able to leave the Secret Annex when the Allies storm the beaches of Normandy, but their luck tragically runs out. Anne’s last diary entry is Tuesday, August 1, 1944.

Critical Evaluation

Anne Frank’s words are those of a young girl on the verge of womanhood. Each entry is dates, which provide readers with a chronology of events and is made even more significant when readers can identify important moments of WWII. The passage of time is poignantly marked by the ringing of church bells, the changing of seasons, and the New Year’s celebration cakes. Anne’s entries are replete with typical adolescent girl drama, to which readers can relate. She does not get along with her mother, she feels as if she is in the shadows of her older sister, and she longs for the affection of her father. Readers will also relate to the stumbling relationship between Peter and Anne; feelings of excitement, doubt, and anxiety wax and wane as their relationship grows from friendship to romance. In her diary entries, Anne also contemplates what she wants to do when she grows up, and that is to be a writer; because the reader undoubtedly knows her fate, the tragedy is made even greater. With this diary, Anne’s voice serves as a voice of millions of Holocaust victims whose story we will never read. When Anne says that she still believes that people really are good at heart, readers can’t help but evaluate their own lives as they wonder what could have been. Because of Anne’s words, the world will never forget her, nor will they forget the injustices done. For all its tragedy, Anne’s diary is a story of hope, faith, and love.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Anne Frank and her family live in the Secret Annex for two years. During that time, Anne writes in her diary about life, love, and growing up.

 

Author Information

 

Annelies Marie Frank was born June 12, 1929, the second daughter for Otto and Edith Frank (Margot was their first daughter). They lived a peaceful life in Frankfurt, Germany, until Hitler took over; then they moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands in the fall of 1933, where they believed they would be safe from anti-Semitism. However, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. As in Germany, the Jews suffered persecution and were required to wear a yellow star on their clothing. Anti-Jewish laws made life difficult and Jews were forced to attend segregated schools. Jews were given summons to report for deportation to Nazi concentration camps, and Anne’s father began making preparations for his family to go into hiding. On July 5, 1942, a few weeks after Anne’s parents gave her the red and white checkered diary for her birthday, Margot received the letter to report, and the Frank family went into hiding the very next day.

Otto Frank was the only survivor in his family. On August 4, 1944, German soldiers raided their hiding place. Anne hid her diary, and later Miep Gies found it and kept it for when she returned. Of course, Anne never did. After the raid, the family was shipped to Westerbork, a concentration camp in northern Netherlands. Then, they were transferred to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland on September 3. There, the women and men were separated and Otto never say his wife or daughters again. Later, Edith became ill and died at Auschwitz on January 6, 1945. Her daughters were transferred to Bergen-Belsen work camp, but conditions were terrible and soon the girls became sick with typhus. They died with a day of each other in March 1945. A few weeks later, Russian troops liberated the camp. Anne was fifteen years old.

Otto survived and returned to Amsterdam where Miep gave him Anne’s diary. As he read it, he was surprised to learn things about his daughter he never knew and was amazed by her depth of thoughts and feelings. Honoring her wishes to someday be a writer, he published her diary on June 25, 1947.

Information was obtained from Bio.com:

 http://www.biography.com/people/anne-frank-9300892?page=1

Genre

Young adult

Nonfiction

Diary

Curriculum Ties

WWII, Holocaust

Book Talking Ideas

How does writing help sort emotions? What would it be like to be trapped for two years, never being able to go outside?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

N/A

Challenge Defense

N/A

Why did I include this title?

When you read Anne’s words, you enter her world. It is amazing how someone so young can have such depth of thought and feeling. It is impossible not to be affected by her words. She believes that peace and tranquility will return. Maybe someday her dream will come true.

Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum

Mecum, R. (2008). Zombie haiku. Cincinnati, OH: HOW books.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-070-7

Plot Summary

Zombie Haiku is the supposed haiku poetry journal of author Ryan Mecum that is found by Chris Lynch as he is attacked by Ryan inside an airport bathroom. Leading up to this event is a zombie apocalypse that began as an ordinary day when Ryan woke up late and tried to rush to work. His mind is joyfully preoccupied with thoughts of his new-found love. However, Ryan quickly realizes that things are not ordinary at all. When he got in the car, his neighbor stares at him oddly. The streets are clogged with abandoned cars. The radio station isn’t playing any music. Ryan finally realizes that the world has been taken over by zombies when he sees his co-worker, Beth, eating brains in her car. He runs away to find safety, but crowds of zombies are lunging after him. Ryan climbs up a billboard sign to get away from them and waits for help, which never comes. Desperate, he jumps down to try to run, but his landing is bad and as he rolls in the grass, zombies attack him. He is bitten, and he knows what will happen next when he doesn’t feel quite right. Looking for blood and brains, he finds his mother and then visits a nursing home. His human instincts fade away as his body transforms completely into a zombie and he joins other zombies on their way to the city. Eventually, the mass of the zombie plague makes its way to an airport where living humans are safely barricaded inside behind windows. When the fence falls, the hungry zombies feast away, and Ryan’s rigor mortis is catching up to him but not before he finds Chris Lynch in the airport bathroom.

Critical Evaluation

The verses of Zombie Haiku reveal the story of the undead poet through the three line 5-7-7 syllabication of haiku. The pages start off clean but get dirtier as Ryan continues his zombie journey and descriptive stanzas detailing the deterioration of Ryan’s body show the progression from human, to just-bitten, and then to transformation. The fragmented, disjointed lines and verses reflect the craze Ryan feels as he searches for fresh flesh. Humorous passages are juxtaposed against the horror of a zombie apocalypse: “I loved my momma/ I eat her with my mouth closed,/ how she would want it” and “Everything I thought/ tasted a lot like chicken/ really tastes like man.” Blood-stained Polaroid pictures duct-taped to the journal’s pages and sketches of severed limbs add to the horror. Drops and smears of blood and strands of hair randomly adorn the pages with gruesome effect. Traditionally, haiku is a very intimate and full of feelings, usually about nature and life. This creates irony; there is nothing natural about zombies, and they are the undead. Also, while haiku is usually a peaceful reflection of life, Zombie Haiku is anything but. Haiku is prescribed, there are rules that must be followed, and there is only one way to write them. Similarly, being a zombie means there is only one thing you must do: find brains. It is a little confusing between Ryan’s haikus and Chris Lynch’s scribbled notes and readers might not understand whose haiku journal this is at first. This modern spin on haiku poetry gives a traditional and ancient art new purpose: entertainment.

Reader’s Annotation

 

While trapped inside an airport bathroom, Chris Lynch finds this journal of haiku poetry written by author Ryan Mecum. In it, he reads of Ryan’s horrifying descent into zombie apocalypse until he himself can read no more.

 

Author Information

 

Ryan Mecum was born May 31, 1975 and grew up in Cincinnati, where he currently lives with his wife and children. He earned an English degree from the University of Cincinnati and he likes to write books about fiction and poetry.

Ryan Mecum enjoys interacting with and talking to teenagers. Some of his favorite topics of conversation are scary monsters, comics, and God. He works for a ministry called Younglife. He loves the band R.E.M. and once told the lead singer, Michael Stipe, that he loved him as much than he loves his wife.

Ryan Mecum is available to contact through email, his blog, and Facebook. He welcomes monster haiku written by anyone and often posts them on his website.

A website dedicated to zombie haiku can be found at http://www.zombiehaiku.com/index.html

More information about Ryan Mecum can be found on his website:

http://www.ryanmecum.com/

 

Genre

Young adult/ Adult crossover

Poetry

Haiku

Humor

Curriculum Ties

Haiku poetry

Book Talking Ideas

Write a haiku…

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

N/A

Challenge Defense

N/A

Why did I include this title?

I first saw this little book in an airport bookstore. I think it was Washington Dulles International Airport. Anyway, it cracked me up. I didn’t buy it because I didn’t need anything more weighing my luggage down, but as soon as I got home, I ordered it. When we study poetry in class, I pull it out and show it to my students, and they love it. Again, who doesn’t like zombies?!

With Their Eyes: September 11th, the View From a High School at Ground Zero edited by Annie Thoms

Thoms, A. (2002). With their eyes: September 11^th, the view from a high school at Ground Zero. New York: HarperTempest.

ISBN-13: 978-1-40464-285-0

Summary

Tuesday morning, September 11, 2011 began like any other day at Stuyvesant High School, a magnet school for high-achieving students four blocks from the World Trade Center in New York City. Five days into the new school year, hundreds of students watched in horror through their classroom windows as the Twin Towers burst into flames during first period. Following evacuation and relocation, English teacher Annie Thoms contacted playwright Anna Deavere Smith with an ambitious idea: create a play in which Stuyvesant students told their own stories and the stories of others in the community about their experiences that day and in the days that followed. Ten students auditioned and became the play’s actors. They interviewed fellow classmates, faculty, and staff and recorded it all on tape. Then, they transcribed the interviews, which create the monologues that make up the play. The play was performed on February 8 and 9, 2002 to standing ovations and national attention.

Critical Evaluation

With Their Eyes is a fusion of recording history and creating art. The monologues are the stories of real people and their voices. The unfinished sentences left with words like “um” and “uh” and the breaks in thought echo the jarred and jagged memories of that day for them: “It’s just that, it’s interesting, it was like,/ the, the air felt on the outside like something that you/ might smell at a,/ or feel at a barbecue,/ but it didn’t, it…it hurt you./ It hurt your windpipe” (44). Perhaps they show us that there truly are no words that can express their feelings. Each monologue paints with words the images they saw first hand and terrifyingly close. The play has two acts that follow a chronology of events. Act One is about the morning of September 11 and evacuating the school. Act Two is about the days following September 11. Frank discussions about reasons for the attacks take place, and the monologues are peppered with occasional explicit language. Again, the language is part of the reality of the people speaking. Readers will recognize how the actors placed themselves in another person’s words, just as we are encouraged to put ourselves in others’ shoes. The emotion and empathy is strong, and this play, through its linguistic art, records history. Through these words, real people told their stories and by doing so, art was created. Art endures through time. This play symbolizes that New York City, and the rest of America, will also endure.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Ten high school students at Stuyvesant High School, four blocks from the World Trade Center, create a play of monologues about what it was like that day and after. These words from eye-witnesses will stir emotions and ultimately remain a lasting piece of historical art.

 

Author Information

 

Annie Thoms herself graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1993. She received her BA from Williams College and then her MA in English education from Teachers College at Columbia University. In 2000, she became an English teacher and theater advisor at Stuyvesant High School.

 

Annie Thoms currently lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters, Eleanor and Isabel. She says, “Too often, adults looking for authors that teenagers will want to read ignore one of the greatest talent pools possible: other teenagers. High school students have incredible voices and vivid, powerful stories to tell, not only in the face of national tragedy, but in the everyday sorrows and joys of their lives as well.”

 

Information about Annie Thoms was found on the Harper Collins Publishers website. http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/24990/Annie_Thoms/index.aspx

 

Genre

Young adult

Nonfiction

Drama

Curriculum Ties

9/11

Book Talking Ideas

How is history recorded? What is the significance of art?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

Language

Challenge Defense

If it were challenged, I would consult ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

I would also cite these reviews:

Book Links (A.L.A.) 04/01/03

School Library Journal 01/01/03

Booklist 09/01/02

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 10/01/02

Books for the Teen Age (NYPL) 05/01/04

Wilson's Junior High School 11/01/05

Publishers Weekly 09/02/02

Wilson's Senior High School 10/30/03

Why did I include this title?

I was intrigued when I read that an English teacher, like myself, thought of this idea and was able to pull it off. You can see the people and feel the words of the monologues. I think that talking about the pain helps heal the pain; this play is an example of that.

Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes For Teen Chefs by Rozanne Gold

Gold, R. (2009). Eat fresh food: awesome recipes for teen chefs. Photographs by Phil Mansfield. New York: Bloomsbury.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-282-1

Summary

This cookbook is comprised of more than 80 recipes that emphasize healthy eating with fresh foods. The author is encouraging her readers to get out of the junk food rut. There are seven chapters focusing on different courses: Bread, Butter, & Breakfast; Bowls: Soups & Pasta; Sandwiches, Burgers & Pizza; Salads, Big & Small; Dinner Specials With Vegetables; Side Dishes; and Desserts & Drinks. Additionally, an Introduction includes a nutritionist’s notes, information about organic food, the pantry, equipment, safety, and getting started. At the end of the book, a list of menus offers suggestions for important events and get-togethers with family and friends such as New Year’s Breakfast, Valentine’s Day Dinner, A Birthday Party, and the Last Gasp of Summer. Each recipe includes a list of ingredients, clear step-by-step instructions, and colorful photographs.

Critical Evaluation

Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs is a colorful, inspiring cookbook for teens who are interested in cooking or who are seeking alternatives to fast food, junk food, and snacks. In the Introduction, Rozanne Gold explains the acronym FRESH: farmer-friendly, ripe-ready, easy-exciting, sustainable, honest-healthy. An memorable acronym might encourage young chefs not only while they are shopping but also when they are cooking. Vibrant photographs show examples of ingredients, equipment, final products, and happy young adult sous chefs in action and having fun in the kitchen. Seeing the multicultural group of sous chefs enjoying themselves promotes creativity in the kitchen, makes readers want to join in, and emphasizes that everyone can do this. The recipes are relatively easy with minimal ingredients; because the lists of ingredients are short, young chefs will not be overwhelmed and discouraged from trying them. Furthermore, the descriptions of the dishes are told in a relaxed, encouraging tone. Sidebars on many pages provide helpful tips and suggestions. Quotes from young chefs appear in colorful circles throughout the page. For example, Dan exclaims, “I always make things spicy, to see how hot I can take it.” Fun quotes like this appeal to the reader because he or she can connect with them. Many of the recipes are also vegetarian, even though none of them point that out. Young chefs will learn the difference between ground cinnamon and ground cumin, and they will have fun cooking healthy food that all will enjoy.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Teen chefs cook more than 80 recipes in this cookbook that encourages FRESH eating. From ultra-thin breakfast crepes with fresh blueberry syrup in the morning to hot-milk shortcakes with strawberries and cream for dessert, these delicious recipes will delight family and friends.

 

Author Information

 

Rozanne Gold, a renowned chef, author, and restaurant consultant, began her career at age 23 as first chef to Ed Koch, mayor of New York City. She has won the prestigious James Beard Award four times and has won the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award. She has helped re-create the Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center in New York as well as worked at Windows on the World, the restaurant that was at the top floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She has been named one of America’s Top 5 Enlightened Chefs and Hospitality Professional of the Year. She is known for “keeping it simple,” and one of her cookbooks, Fabulous Food Using Only Three Ingredients (1996) has been published in three languages. Her book Healthy 1-2-3 (2001) won the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) award.

 

Chef Gold is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in psychology and education. She then studied cooking in Italy and France. She is a trustee of Arts Horizons, a nonprofit organization that brings the arts to city schools. The movement to help teens eat more healthfully is important to her and Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs is her 11^th book.

 

Rozanne Gold lives with her husband and teenage daughter in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York and her son lives in Silicon Valley, CA.

 

More information about Chef Rozanne Gold can be found at her website:

http://www.rozannegold.com/

 

Genre

Young adult

Nonfiction

Cookbook

Curriculum Ties

Home economics

Book Talking Ideas

Tired of eating the same old junk? Why are farmer’s markets so popular? What is it like to be a chef?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

N/A

Challenge Defense

N/A

Why did I include this title?

I love chefs. Their creativity and passion comes through in everything they do. This cookbook is no exception. Rozanne Gold’s enjoyment of food and young adults is obvious. The recipes look delicious. I think the first one I want to try is Bombay Sliders with Hurry-Curry Sauce. See how much fun that sounds? Every page has color photographs, which is nice. How often do we look at cookbooks without pictures and wish we could see what it was supposed to look like? I have a student in class who is always looking at cookbooks and writing recipes down. She says she will bring me some of what she makes, but she never remembers. That’s ok. I hope she enjoys this book.

Hurricane Song: A Novel of New Orleans by Paul Volponi

Volponi, P. (2008). Hurricane Song: a novel about New Orleans. New York: Viking.

ISBN-13: 978-0-670-06160-0

Plot Summary

Miles has been living with his jazz-playing father, Doc, in New Orleans for two months. The only thing Doc cares about is playing jazz in clubs, but Miles is looking forward to having a father figure in his life. School is about to start, and Miles is excited playing football. However, it is the end of August 2005, and Hurricane Katrina is barreling toward New Orleans. Miles, Doc, and Uncle Roy get in the car to stay in a motel inland, but they are directed to stay in the Superdome instead. Miles had hoped the first time he saw its grass would be when he played on it, not running from a storm. Miles, Doc, and Uncle Roy must survive the hurricane, the impatient and angry crowds, and the oppressive National Guard soldiers. When the rain finally passes, this small family realizes what is truly important to them.

Critical Evaluation

The setting of Hurricane Song is the backdrop and the catalyst for everything that occurs within the plot. Each chapter opens with a stanza of the song “When the Saints Come Marching In,” which cleverly sets the stage and foreshadows the events of the chapter. Of course, the significance of this song must not be overlooked: it is the Saints football team that calls the Superdome home. Now, though, it is home to the thousands of people seeking refuge from the storm. Also, each chapter begins with the date and time; tension builds as the hurricane approaches. The language of this first-person narration told with the voice of Miles is full of Southern dialect, which adds to the realism of the place and the characters. For example, Miles says, “Mom would bust on me whenever I complained about it” (4). Furthermore, the dialogue is rich with expletives and while some might be offended, it would be unrealistic to have anything other than that. Explicit language and derogatory terms bring to the forefront the racism and terrible experience endured by the people trapped in the Superdome. Through it all is Doc and Uncle Roy’s love of jazz, which exemplifies the strong culture of music that lives in New Orleans. Readers will be able to relate to the complicated father-son relationship. At the end, the theme of hope and perseverance will inspire readers.

Reader’s Annotation

 

When Miles chooses to live with his jazz musician father permanently, his relationship is put to the test when Hurricane Katrina threatens New Orleans. Struggling to survive in the Superdome, he realizes what is important and what people need to get through the storms of life.

 

Author Information

 

Paul Volponi is a teacher, a writer, and a journalist who lives in New York City. Between the years of 1992 and 1998, he was a teacher to incarcerated adolescents on Riker’s Island, New York City’s main jail facility. There, he taught teens how to read and write. During another six year period of time, Volponi taught teens in drug day-treatment centers. His work with teens influenced much of his writing, and his particular experience working on Riker’s Island inspired his first young adult novel, Black and White, which won the 2006 IRA Young Adult Book Award and an ALA Best Book Young Adult. Volponi holds a BA in English from Baruch and an MA in American Literature from the City College of New York.

 

Paul Volponi is available for contact through his website. He also enjoys visiting schools and libraries, and he offers to chat with students in classrooms via a video or speakerphone conference.

 

For more information or to contact Paul Volponi, please visit his website:

http://www.paulvolponibooks.com/index.htm

 

Genre

Young adult

Historical Fiction

Survival

Curriculum Ties

Hurricanes, weather, flooding, jazz music

Book Talking Ideas

What do you remember about Hurricane Katrina? How did it affect people’s lives?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

Language, racism

Challenge Defense

If it were challenged, I would consult ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

I would also cite these reviews:

Booklist 05/01/08

School Library Journal 08/01/08

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 05/01/08

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 06/01/08

Horn Book 10/01/08

Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10

Kirkus Review 05/01/08

Wilson's Senior High School 06/01/10

Why did I include this title?

This is the first historical fiction novel I have seen about Hurricane Katrina. The story is incredibly moving and often frightening. It sheds light on something I only saw from the safety of my couch watching television and while I knew it was bad in the Superdome, this novel shows me how horrible it really was. Hopefully, once people read this book, they will think twice about how they treat people during difficult times like natural disasters as well as on a daily basis.